Jeff Fortenberry, the ex-GOP Congressman found guilty of lying to the FBI, had his conviction tossed by a California appeals court

• A California appeals court reversed the conviction of former Nebraska Rep. Jeff Fortenberry.
• Fortenberry was convicted last year of making false statements to the FBI.

A California appeals court reversed the 2022 conviction of Jeff Fortenberry, the former Nebraska congressman found guilty of lying to the FBI over knowledge of illegal contributions made to his campaign.

The US Appeals Court for the Ninth Circuit found that Fortenberry should have been tried on the crimes in Washington D.C. or Nebraska — not in Los Angeles, where his trial was held.

Fortenberry was charged with lying to investigators and concealing material facts after he denied knowing he'd received $30,000 in donations from Gilbert Chagoury, a Lebanese Nigerian billionaire, at a 2016 campaign fundraiser. That fundraiser was held in LA.

Fortenberry resigned from his seat in March 2022 following his conviction and said he planned to appeal as a private citizen.

Trump spoke out against the conviction, saying Fortenberry "possibly didn't even know anything about" the donation.

During the investigation into Fortenberry's actions, federal agents based out of LA interviewed him in Lincoln, Nebraska, and his lawyer's office in DC, according to the appeals ruling.

In the end, Fortenberry was not charged with campaign finance allegations — in connection to the 2016 fundraising event in LA — but rather lying during that investigation.

The panel ruled that because of that, his case was tried in the wrong venue.

"The ruling does not preclude a retrial on the charges that then-Congressman Fortenberry made multiple false statements to federal agents," Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the US Attorney's Office in LA told Business Insider in a statement. "We are evaluating potential next steps before deciding how best to move forward."

In a statement to BI, Fortenberry said he and his wife are happy with the court's ruling.

"We are gratified by the Ninth Circuit's decision," Fortenberry said. "Celeste and I would like to thank everyone who has stood by us and supported us with their kindness and friendship."