Judge denies Rep. Fortenberry’s motions to dismiss charges

By GRANT SCHULTE
Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A federal judge has rejected U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry’s attempts to dismiss charges accusing the Nebraska Republican of making false statements to FBI agents who were investigating an illegal foreign donation to his campaign. U.S. District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. on Monday denied Fortenberry’s motions to get the case tossed, increasing the odds that he will have to stand trial in a Los Angeles federal court. Fortenberry is accused of lying to the FBI and concealing information from agents who were looking into a $30,000 donation his campaign received from Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian billionaire of Lebanese descent. Chagoury made the donation through a middleman at a 2016 fundraiser in Los Angeles. A Fortenberry spokesman says the case is flawed.