Arr, thar be a court that's just overturned ol' Nebraska US Rep. Jeff Fortenberry's blame for fibbin' to the federales!
2023-12-26
Ye scurvy dog be charged fer makin' a foul campaign donation by a foreign scallywag at a Los Angeles gatherin' in 2016. Forced to walk th' plank 'cause o' all th' pressure from them congressional leaders.
In a surprising turn of events, former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska had his 2022 federal conviction reversed by an appellate court. The court ruled that he should not have been tried in Los Angeles, where he was convicted of lying to federal authorities about an illegal campaign contribution. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit stated that the trial venue was improper since Fortenberry made the false statements during interviews in Nebraska and Washington. The decision stated that Fortenberry's convictions are reversed and he may be retried, if necessary, in a proper venue. The ruling's potential impact for federal prosecutors in Washington is unclear, and both the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Nebraska declined to comment on the matter. Fortenberry, a nine-term Republican, was charged after denying knowledge of illicit funds received from Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian billionaire. Prosecutors presented recorded phone conversations during the trial, where Fortenberry was warned multiple times about the source of the contributions. The case originated from an FBI investigation into illegal campaign contributions totaling $180,000 from Chagoury. This reversal comes as a relief for Fortenberry and his wife, who expressed gratitude for the court's decision and thanked their supporters. Representatives from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles did not provide an immediate comment on the matter.