Here we go again…
Former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) has been re-charged for allegedly lying to the FBI about an illegal campaign contribution, months after an appeals court wiped out his previous conviction.
On Wednesday, a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., indicted Fortenberry on two counts in connection with statements he gave during interviews about a foreign billionaire's illegal donation to his 2016 congressional campaign.
Chad Kolton, a spokesperson for Fortenberry, argued the case should not have been tried again after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals “ruled so decisively” to reverse the conviction.
“This case has defined overzealous prosecution from the earliest days of the investigation, and retrying it in D.C. just highlights the prosecutors' vindictive obsession with destroying a good man's life,” Kolton wrote in a statement shared with The Hill.
“Federal prosecutors should have better things to do than force a distinguished former public servant to incur massive additional legal costs despite already having resigned his office and performed his sentence from a conviction that was ultimately overturned,” he added.
A jury in Los Angeles previously convicted him in 2022 following a federal investigation, but a federal appeals court overturned the case in late 2023. (RELATED: Appeals Court Overturns Ex-Congressman's Conviction For Lying To FBI)
The charges center on statements Fortenberry gave to authorities as they investigated the $30,200 donation to the former congressman's campaign at a 2016 fundraising event in California from Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian businessperson.
Federal election law prohibits foreign nationals from making contributions in support of any candidate for a federal elected office in the U.S.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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