Nebraska Rep. Fortenberry seeks dismissal of federal charges

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Attorneys for Republican Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska have asked a judge to dismiss federal charges accusing him of lying to FBI agents who were investigating illegal campaign contributions. Attorney John Littrell argued in a court filing Tuesday that the charges were incorrectly filed in California because the nine-term congressmen spoke to federal agents once in Nebraska and once in Washington, D.C. Prosecutors say Fortenberry’s statements affected their California-based investigation into illegal donations. Fortenberry received the illegal contributions from a Nigerian billionaire, Gilbert Chagoury, using a middleman at a 2016 fundraiser in Los Angeles. Fortenberry has said he was misled and that he didn’t know the campaign contribution originated with Chagoury.