hi

More Republican corruption, this time from my state.

Rep. Jeff Fortenberry [NE-1] expects to be indicted for lying to FBI but says charge is false (Omaha World-Herald, four hours ago)

His wife is calling this a political attack.

LINCOLN — Rep. Jeff Fortenberry expects the federal government to charge him with lying to the FBI during its investigation of campaign contributions funneled to him from a Nigerian billionaire.

The nine-term Republican from Lincoln said he is being wrongly accused.

“We will fight these charges. I did not lie to them,” Fortenberry said in a videotaped statement obtained Monday by The World-Herald. “This is wrong on so many levels.”

Knowingly making false statements to a federal agent is a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison. A source familiar with the investigation said an indictment could come down as early as Tuesday.

The anticipated indictment grew out of an FBI investigation, launched in California during the Trump administration, regarding $180,000 in illegal “conduit” campaign contributions from Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian billionaire of Lebanese descent. The contributions, funneled through a group of Californians from 2012 through 2016, went to four U.S. politicians, including $30,200 to Fortenberry in 2016 and $10,000 to then-Rep. Lee Terry, who represented the Omaha area, in 2014.

Fortenberry apparently isn’t in trouble for receiving the contributions; his campaign has said he was unaware that the money came from Chagoury. Instead, the congressman faces prosecution because of what he told or did not tell agents during their investigation into Chagoury’s scheme.

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