US Indicts Congressman for Concealing Facts, Making False Statements
© AP Photo / Andrew HarnikRep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., speaks as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appears before a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on budget on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, March 27, 2019, in Washington.
© AP Photo / Andrew Harnik
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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - A federal grand jury has charged US Congressman Jeff Fortenberry with concealing facts and making false statements as part of an investigation into illegal donations to his 2016 election campaign, the US Attorney's Office said in a statement.
"Federal grand jury indictment charges US Rep. Jeff Fortenberry with one count of scheming to falsify and conceal material facts and two counts of making false statements to federal investigators looking into illegal contributions to his 2016 campaign," the US Attorney's Office said via Twitter on Tuesday.
Earlier in October, a spokesperson for Fortenberry said the investigation is related to illegal campaign contributions from Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire Gilbert Chagoury.
BIG NEWS from DOJ: Federal grand jury has charged Congress member Jeff Fortenberry for lying to authorities investigating donations from Gilbert Chagoury—a foreign billionaire who's paying $1.8M to resolve allegations he conspired in a “straw donor” scheme https://t.co/Kfiy2NhgYo pic.twitter.com/tFbNajmizR
— Anna Massoglia (@annalecta) October 19, 2021
Fortenberry, representing Nebraska’s 1st congressional district since 2005, is the top Republican on the US House Appropriations Committee’s agriculture panel. He was also part of the delegation sent to Haiti following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise.
Chagoury, a foreign national prohibited by federal law from contributing to any US elections, paid $1.8 million in March to settle a probe into campaign finance violations. He admitted to making $180,000 in illegal contributions to four political candidates, including to Fortenberry.