Nebraska Congressman Resigns After Being Found Guilty of Lying to F.B.I.

WASHINGTON — Consultant Jeff Fortenberry, Republican of Nebraska, introduced on Saturday that he would resign from Congress on the finish of the month, days after he was convicted on prices that he lied to federal authorities about an unlawful marketing campaign donation.

Mr. Fortenberry, in a letter to his colleagues, stated he would step down from his seat on March 31. On Thursday, he was convicted on three felony counts in a federal court docket in Los Angeles, together with two counts of creating false statements and one rely of falsifying and concealing materials information.

He faces a most sentence of 5 years in jail for every rely, in keeping with the Justice Division, and a sentencing listening to is scheduled for the top of June. And whereas Mr. Fortenberry has stated he plans to enchantment the choice, nationwide and native leaders in each events referred to as for his resignation within the aftermath of the decision, together with Consultant Kevin McCarthy of California, the Home minority chief, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California.

“It has been my honor to serve with you in america Home of Representatives,” Mr. Fortenberry wrote. “As a result of difficulties of my present circumstances, I can not successfully serve.”

In a publication despatched to his constituents, he added, “It’s my sincerest hope that I’ve made a contribution to the betterment of America and the well-being of our nice state of Nebraska.”

Mr. Fortenberry, who was first elected to Congress in 2004, had already given up his committee positions, together with a seat on the highly effective Home Appropriations Committee, below Republican convention guidelines for members going through federal indictments.

“He had his day in court docket — I feel if he needs to enchantment, he can go try this as a personal citizen,” Mr. McCarthy stated after the decision was introduced. “When somebody’s convicted, it’s time to resign.”

The costs got here after Mr. Fortenberry denied data that he had obtained $30,000 in donations at a 2016 marketing campaign fund-raiser in Los Angeles from Gilbert Chagoury, a Lebanese Nigerian billionaire, who had been accused of conspiring to make unlawful donations to American politicians. (Overseas residents can not donate to American election campaigns, and Mr. Chagoury has since paid a $1.8 million high-quality after a cope with the U.S. authorities.)

Mr. Chagoury had funneled the donation via an middleman, in keeping with the indictment. However prosecutors stated that regardless of being informed by a cooperating witness who helped switch the cash to his marketing campaign that the donations “in all probability did come from Gilbert Chagoury,” Mr. Fortenberry denied realizing that the cash had come from a international citizen.

He was first interviewed by federal investigators in 2019, as a part of an inquiry into Mr. Chagoury’s donations to a number of candidates between 2012 and 2016. Mr. Fortenberry was indicted in October, and he was convicted this week after a weeklong trial.