Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) has been indicted on federal charges of lying to investigators about illegal donations to his political campaign.
The significant sum of money in question was allegedly funneled through other individuals to conceal the cash’s origins.
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Fortenberry, a former city councilor, won his seat in Congress in 2004, using his opposition to abortion and LGBTQ rights as a large part of his campaign.
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The congress member is accused of accepting $30,200 in campaign contributions from Gilbert Chagoury, a wealthy Nigerian business executive. Prosecutors allege that the money was donated “using other individuals as conduits.”
Fortenberry predictably says it’s a politically motivated set-up by Democrats, but the person who helped him to orchestrate the scheme has been cooperating with authorities. At one point, they are heard confirming to the representative that the cash “probably did come from Gilbert Chagoury because he was so grateful for your support [for] the cause.”
“As a foreign national, Chagoury was prohibited from making donations and contributions directly or indirectly in support of any candidate for federal elected office in the United States,” the indictment states.
Fortenberry has a 0% rating with the Human Rights Campaign based on his opposition to absolutely every LGBTQ rights legislation that has come before Congress and his support for anything that allowed discrimination against the community.
