Current:Home > ContactCourt reverses former Nebraska US Rep. Jeff Fortenberry’s conviction of lying to federal authorities -Elevate Capital Network
Court reverses former Nebraska US Rep. Jeff Fortenberry’s conviction of lying to federal authorities
View
Date:2025-04-11 17:00:29
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An appellate court on Tuesday reversed a 2022 federal conviction against former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska, ruling that he should not have been tried in Los Angeles.
Fortenberry was convicted in March 2022 on charges that he lied to federal authorities about an illegal $30,000 contribution to his campaign from a foreign billionaire at a 2016 Los Angeles fundraiser. He resigned his seat days later following pressure from congressional leaders and Nebraska’s GOP governor.
In its Tuesday ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit wrote that the trial venue of Los Angeles was improper because Fortenberry made the false statements during interviews with federal agents at his home in Lincoln, Nebraska, and in his lawyer’s office in Washington.
“Fortenberry’s convictions are reversed so that he may be retried, if at all, in a proper venue,” the decision said.
A federal jury in Los Angeles found the nine-term Republican guilty of concealing information and two counts of making false statements to authorities. He vowed to appeal from the courthouse steps.
Fortenberry and his wife, Celeste Fortenberry, praised the court’s decision.
“We are gratified by the Ninth Circuit’s decision,” Jeff Fortenberry said in a statement. “Celeste and I would like to thank everyone who has stood by us and supported us with their kindness and friendship.”
Thom Mrozek, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, noted that the appellate court left a path open for future proceedings against Fortenberry.
“The ruling does not preclude a retrial on the charges that then-Congressman Fortenberry made multiple false statements to federal agents,” Mrozek said in a statement. “We are evaluating potential next steps before deciding how best to move forward.”
Patricia Hartman, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, declined to comment on the ruling’s potential impact for federal prosecutors in Washington.
“We cannot comment on matters where we don’t have charges filed,” she said in an email Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nebraska did not immediately return a phone message.
Fortenberry was charged after denying to the FBI that he was aware he had received illicit funds from Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian billionaire of Lebanese descent.
At trial, prosecutors presented recorded phone conversations in which Fortenberry was repeatedly warned that the contributions came from Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian billionaire of Lebanese descent. The donations were funneled through three strawmen at the 2016 fundraiser in Los Angeles.
The case stemmed from an FBI investigation into $180,000 in illegal campaign contributions to four campaigns from Chagoury, who lived in Paris at the time. Chagoury admitted to the crime in 2019 and agreed to pay a $1.8 million fine.
It was the first trial of a sitting congressman since Rep. Jim Traficant, D-Ohio, was convicted of bribery and other felony charges in 2002.
veryGood! (98493)
Related
- USA men's volleyball mourns chance at gold after losing 5-set thriller, will go for bronze
- Kenya’s high court rules that deploying nation’s police officers to Haiti is unconstitutional
- Look back at every Super Bowl halftime performer, including Michael Jackson, JLo, Beyonce
- One escaped Arkansas inmate apprehended, second remains at large
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- 3 people found dead inside house in Minneapolis suburb of Coon Rapids after 911 call
- Drew Barrymore Shares She Was Catfished on Dating App by Man Pretending to Be an NFL Player
- North Carolina state workers’ health plan ending coverage for certain weight-loss drugs
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- NYPD raids, shuts down 6 alleged brothels posing as massage parlors, Mayor Adams says
Ranking
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- NFL reaches ‘major milestone’ with record 9 minority head coaches in place for the 2024 season
- Horoscopes Today, January 26, 2024
- Justice Department finds Cuomo sexually harassed employees, settles with New York state
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Jimmy Buffett Day: Florida 'Margaritaville' license plate, memorial highway announced
- Russian man who flew on Los Angeles flight without passport or ticket found guilty of being stowaway
- Key takeaways from UN court’s ruling on Israel’s war in Gaza
Recommendation
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
Former Spain soccer president Luis Rubiales facing trial for unwanted kiss at Women's World Cup
Shirtless Jason Kelce wanted to break table at Bills-Chiefs game; wife Kylie reeled him in
Russia’s Putin blames Ukraine for crash of POW’s plane and pledges to make investigation public
Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
Inflation slowed further in December as an economic ‘soft landing’ moves into sharper focus
Alabama execution using nitrogen gas, the first ever, again puts US at front of death penalty debate
China doubles down on moves to mend its economy and fend off a financial crisis