内布拉斯加州奥马哈——周二，一个联邦大陪审团起诉了内布拉斯加州的美国众议员杰夫·福滕贝里，指控他向联邦调查局撒谎，并向联邦特工隐瞒信息，联邦特工正在调查一名尼日利亚亿万富翁向他提供的竞选捐款。
美国检察官办公室宣布，洛杉矶大陪审团已起诉这位九届共和党人一项阴谋伪造和隐瞒重要事实的指控，以及两项向联邦调查人员提供虚假陈述的指控。福滕贝里预计将于周三下午在洛杉矶联邦法院出庭接受传讯。
这份起诉书源于联邦调查局对尼日利亚黎巴嫩裔亿万富翁吉尔伯特·查古里18万美元非法竞选捐款的调查。
这些捐款从2012年到2016年通过一群加州人输送到四位美国政客手中，其中包括2016年给福滕贝里的3.02万美元。通过对联邦选举记录显示，政治已经确定另外三名共和党人的获奖者是2014年来自内布拉斯加州的前美国众议员李·特里;加州众议员达雷尔·伊萨，2014年;和米特·罗姆尼在他2012年的总统竞选中。
联邦当局没有声称其他三个竞选团队或候选人中的任何一个知道捐款来自查格里。
住在巴黎的查古利在2019年承认了罪行，同意支付180万美元的罚款，目前正在与联邦当局合作。检察官表示，查古利向来自较小州的政客提供了一些非法捐款，因为他认为这些金额会更引人注目，让他有更好的渠道。几年前，他还因为向克林顿基金会捐赠了100多万美元而引起了关注。
起诉书称，2016年洛杉矶筹款活动的一名共同主持人告诉福滕贝里，捐款可能确实来自查格里，但福滕贝里从未按要求向联邦选举委员会提交过修订后的竞选报告。据称，他后来在2019年3月23日林肯家中接受采访时，向联邦调查人员“发表了虚假和误导性的声明”。
根据起诉书，福滕贝里错误地告诉调查人员，他不知道查格里的一名同伙参与了非法捐款。据称，他还说，他的捐赠者是公开披露的，他不知道任何外国国民的捐款，这是非法的。
起诉书称，2019年7月在华盛顿接受第二次采访时，福滕贝里否认他知道在2016年的筹款活动中有任何非法捐赠。
在周一晚上发布的一段YouTube视频中，福滕贝里表示，他对这些指控感到“震惊”和“目瞪口呆”，并要求他的支持者支持他。明知故犯地向联邦特工做虚假陈述是重罪，最高可判处五年监禁。
“我们将与这些指控作斗争，”他在视频中说，这段视频拍摄于1963年，在玉米背景下，他和妻子塞莱斯特以及他们的狗在一辆皮卡内。“我没有骗他们。我告诉了他们我所知道的。但我们需要你的帮助。”
福滕贝里的竞选团队坚称，他不知道该活动在洛杉矶的一次筹款活动中收到的捐款来自查格里。
林肯的福坦伯里说，在他外出处理刚刚袭击内布拉斯加州的一场大风暴后，来自加州的联邦调查局特工来到了他的家。他说，他们当时和在随后的采访中询问了他的贡献。
“我告诉他们我所知道的和我所理解的，”他说。
Fortenberry代表该州的第一国会选区，这是一个共和党占主导地位的地区，包括林肯和奥马哈郊区的部分地区，以及内布拉斯加州东部的周边农田和小镇。
据内布拉斯加州国务卿办公室称，至少自1901年以来，没有其他内布拉斯加州议员或美国参议员被起诉。
Fortenberry于2004年首次当选该席位。他在2020年的最后一次选举中赢得了60%的选票，并以不平衡的优势击败了民主党挑战者。
内布拉斯加州民主党表示，起诉书显示，福滕贝里只对金钱和权力感兴趣。
该党主席简·克莱布(Jane Kleeb)说:“福滕贝里报道的谎言违背了内布拉斯加州人的信任，只能证实特朗普承诺要抽干的沼泽实际上是共和党的。“在国会任职16年玷污了福滕贝里，他更关心政治捐款，而不是为我们州的人民服务。”
《奥马哈世界先驱报》首次报道了他预计将被起诉的声明。
他的妻子塞莱斯特·福滕贝里说，她的丈夫在没有律师的情况下自愿与代理人交谈，因为他认为代理人需要他的帮助来查明案件的真相。
她说，他后来打电话给他的朋友、律师、前国会议员特雷·高迪寻求法律代理。她说，她的丈夫参加了华盛顿特工的另一次采访，并一再得到保证，他不是调查的目标。
Indictment accuses Nebraska congressman of lying to FBI
OMAHA, Neb. -- A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska, accusing him of lying to the FBI and concealing information from federal agents who were investigating campaign contributions funneled to him from a Nigerian billionaire.
The U.S. attorney's office announced that the grand jury in Los Angeles had indicted the nine-term Republican on one charge of scheming to falsify and conceal material facts and two counts of making false statements to federal investigators. Fortenberry is expected to appear for an arraignment Wednesday afternoon in federal court in Los Angeles.
The indictment stems from an FBI investigation into $180,000 in illegal campaign contributions from Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian billionaire of Lebanese descent.
The contributions were funneled through a group of Californians from 2012 through 2016 and went to four U.S. politicians, including $30,200 to Fortenberry in 2016. Using an analysis of federalelectionrecords, Politico has identified the other three Republican recipients as former U.S. Rep. Lee Terry, of Nebraska, in 2014; Rep. Darrell Issa, of California, in 2014; andMitt Romneyduring his 2012 presidential campaign.
Federal authorities haven't alleged that any of the other three campaigns or candidates were aware that the donations originated with Chagoury.
Chagoury, who lives in Paris, admitted to the crime in 2019, agreed to pay a $1.8 million fine and is cooperating with federal authorities. Prosecutors have said Chagoury made some of the illegal contributions to politicians from smaller states because he thought the amounts would be more noticeable and give him better access. He also drew attention years ago for giving more than $1 million to the Clinton Foundation.
The indictment alleges that a cohost of the 2016 fundraiser in Los Angeles told Fortenberry that the donations probably did come from Chagoury, but Fortenberry never filed an amended campaign report with the Federal Election Commission as required. It says he later “made false and misleading statements” to federal investigators during a March 23, 2019 interview at his home in Lincoln.
According to the indictment, Fortenberry falsely told investigators he wasn't aware of an associate of Chagoury being involved in illegal contributions. He also allegedly said that his donors were publicly disclosed and he wasn't aware of any contributions from a foreign national, which is illegal.
In a second interview in Washington in July 2019, the indictment says Fortenberry denied that he was aware of any illicit donation made during the 2016 fundraiser.
In a YouTube video posted Monday night, Fortenberry said he was “shocked” and “stunned” by the allegations and asked his supporters to rally behind him. Knowingly making false statements to a federal agent is a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.
“We will fight these charges,” he said in the video, filmed inside a 1963 pickup truck with his wife, Celeste, and their dog, against a backdrop of corn. “I did not lie to them. I told them what I knew. But we need your help."
Fortenberry's campaign has insisted that he didn't know the donations, which the campaign received during a fundraiser in Los Angeles, originated with Chagoury.
Fortenberry, of Lincoln, said FBI agents from California came to his home after he had been out dealing with a major storm that had just hit Nebraska. He said they questioned him about the contributions then and in a follow-up interview.
“I told them what I knew and what I understood,” he said.
Fortenberry represents the state’s 1st Congressional District, a heavily Republican area that includes Lincoln and parts of several Omaha suburbs, as well as surrounding farmland and small towns in eastern Nebraska.
According to the Nebraska secretary of state’s office, no other Nebraska congressman or U.S. senator has been indicted since at least 1901.
Fortenberry was first elected to the seat in 2004. He won his last election in 2020 with 60% of the vote and has generally defeated Democratic challengers by lopsided margins.
The Nebraska Democratic Party said the indictment shows that Fortenberry is only interested in money and power.
“Fortenberry’s reported lies violate the trust of Nebraskans, only confirming that the swamp Trump promised to drain is actually the Republican Party,” said Party Chairwoman Jane Kleeb. “Serving 16 years in Congress has tainted Fortenberry, who cares more about political donations than serving the people of our state.”
His statement that he expected to be indicted was first reported by the Omaha World-Herald.
His wife, Celeste Fortenberry, said her husband spoke with the agents voluntarily, without a lawyer, because he was under the impression that the agents needed his help to get to the bottom of the case.
She said he later called his friend, attorney and former congressman Trey Gowdy, for legal representation. She said her husband sat for another interview with agents in Washington and was repeatedly assured that he was not a target of the investigation.
