# Jeff Fortenberry **Jeffrey Lane Fortenberry** is a former Republican U.S. Representative from Nebraska's 1st district (2005–2022). His case is the roster's outlier in [[Republican Officeholder Fraud]]: the consequence was erased by **court reversal and prosecutorial dismissal** rather than by clemency. In February 2016 Fortenberry's campaign received roughly **$30,000 in illegal conduit contributions** funneled through straw donors on behalf of Gilbert Chagoury, a foreign national barred from contributing to U.S. elections. A cooperating witness told Fortenberry by phone in June 2018 where the money came from. He was never charged with taking the money — only with **lying to the FBI about it** in two later interviews. | Date | Event | |---|---| | 2021-10-19 | Indicted in the Central District of California on 3 felony counts | | 2022-03-24 | Convicted by jury on all three counts | | 2022-03-31 | Resigned from Congress | | 2022-06-28 | Sentenced: 2 years probation, $25,000 fine, no prison | | 2023-12-26 | **Ninth Circuit reverses on improper venue** — the false statements were made in Nebraska and D.C., not California | | 2024-05 | Re-indicted in the District of Columbia | | 2025-01-29 | **DOJ moves to dismiss with prejudice; judge grants it. Case over.** | No conviction stands, no sentence was served, and no pardon was needed. > [!note] Stub — fill out > Needs: the Chagoury network and its wider U.S. political giving; the venue holding's doctrinal significance; the DOJ personnel departures that delayed the retrial; the rationale offered for dismissal with prejudice; his attempted 2024 comeback bid (unverified).