WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry has been charged with lying to federal authorities about a foreign billionaire’s illegal $30,000 contribution to his campaign, reviving a case that was derailed by an appellate court.
A federal jury convicted the Nebraska Republican in 2022, but the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Fortenberry’s conviction last year, ruling that the case should not have been tried in Los Angeles.
A grand jury in the nation’s capital indicted Fortenberry on Wednesday on two counts: falsifying and concealing material facts and making false statements.
Chad Kolton, a spokesman for Fortenberry, said the case should not have been brought in the first place and should not be pursued again after the 9th Circuit ruled in his favor.
“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 said in a statement.