Nebraska Congressman Convicted in Campaign Finance Case

LOS ANGELES — A Nebraska congressman was convicted Thursday on costs that he lied to federal authorities about having obtained an unlawful marketing campaign contribution from a international citizen.

Consultant Jeff Fortenberry was convicted in federal courtroom in Los Angeles on one rely of falsifying and concealing materials details and two counts of creating false statements. Every carries a most sentence of 5 years in jail, in accordance with america Division of Justice. A sentencing listening to was set for June 28.

“The lies on this case threatened the integrity of the American electoral system and have been designed to forestall investigators from studying the true supply of marketing campaign funds,” mentioned Tracy L. Wilkison, one of many prosecutors.

Mr. Fortenberry’s workplace didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. However exterior the courthouse, Mr. Fortenberry mentioned that the method had been unfair and that he would attraction instantly, in accordance with The Related Press.

In October, when he was charged, the congressman vowed to combat the accusations and maintained his innocence.

“5 and a half years in the past, an individual from abroad illegally moved cash to my marketing campaign,” Mr. Fortenberry mentioned in a video he posted on-line on the time. “I didn’t know something about this.”

He was convicted after a weeklong trial.

Mr. Fortenberry, a Republican who has been in Congress for nearly twenty years, obtained a $30,000 donation to his re-election marketing campaign at a fund-raiser in 2016, in accordance with the federal indictment within the case. International residents are prohibited from donating to U.S. election campaigns.

Fairly than report the contribution in an amended submitting with the Federal Election Fee or return the cash, as federal legislation dictates, prosecutors mentioned Mr. Fortenberry stored it and informed investigators in 2019 that he had been unaware of any contributions made by international residents.

The fees didn’t stem from the donation itself, which got here from Gilbert Chagoury, a Lebanese Nigerian billionaire who was accused of conspiring to make unlawful marketing campaign contributions to American politicians in trade for entry to them.

The fees got here after prosecutors mentioned Mr. Fortenberry denied realizing that the donation, which had been funneled by an middleman, have been from Mr. Chagoury — even after the congressman informed a cooperating witness, a fund-raiser referred to in courtroom filings as Particular person H, that the donation “in all probability did come from Gilbert Chagoury.”

Federal investigators first interviewed Mr. Fortenberry in 2019 as a part of an investigation into Mr. Chagoury, who admitted to giving $180,000 to 4 candidates from June 2012 to March 2016. Mr. Fortenberry was a kind of 4.

Mr. Chagoury in the end reached a take care of the U.S. authorities and paid a $1.8 million nice.

In courtroom paperwork, prosecutors mentioned Mr. Chagoury had been informed to donate to “politicians from less-populous states as a result of the contribution can be extra noticeable to the politician and thereby would promote elevated donor entry.”

Katie Benner contributed reporting.