Paperwork Filed by Attorneys for Former Congressman Fortenberry Before Retrial

LINCOLN–(KFOR Nov. 14)–Former Nebraska First-District Congressman Jeff Fortenberry is looking to clear his name, as his attorneys filed paperwork this week, hoping a judge in Washington, DC will side with him on what’s allowed and not allowed for a new trial.

Fortenberry resigned from Congress in 2022, after a California jury found him guilty of lying to the FBI about an illegal campaign contribution of $30,000 from a Nigerian billionaire. Fortenberry’s attorneys say the trial should have happened in DC, not in Los Angeles. A federal judge at the time sentenced Fortenberry to probation instead of prison time.

Almost a year ago, the court of appeals tossed the conviction because of where the trial was held.

The alleged false statements Fortenberry made to the FBI occurred in his Lincoln home and his Washington, D.C., office. So the goverment indicted him again, and this time the trial will take place in Washington, D.C. It’s set to begin Feb. 3.