The resignation will take effect on March 31, according to a letter from Fortenberry to supporters in his email.
Fortenberry, 61, was found guilty on Thursday of concealing information from federal officials and making false statements during an investigation into his illegal campaign contributions to the 2016 re-election campaign.
“Because of the difficulties of my current situation, I can no longer work effectively,” Fortenberry said in a letter to supporters.
Fordenberry was forced to resign following the sentence, and both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and GOP President Kevin McCarthy publicly called for his resignation.
“I think he had his day in court. If he wants to appeal, I think he can do it as a private citizen,” McCarthy said Friday. “But if someone is convicted, I think it’s time to resign.”
Last fall, just before the indictment was announced, Fortenberry said in a video uploaded on YouTube, “About five and a half years ago, someone from abroad illegally moved money into my campaign.” But the Nebraska Republican Party said it “knew nothing about it.”
The indictment alleges that the unnamed person referred to as “Personal H” in the document acted as co-host of a 2016 fundraiser for Fortenbury.
According to the indictment, Fortenberry contacted the man to discuss holding another event in the spring of 2018. The court document states that during a June 2018 call, a fundraising co-host told Fortenbury that $ 30,000 in donations “probably came” from a foreign national.
According to the Federal Electoral Commission, campaigns are prohibited from soliciting contributions from foreign nationals.
But the indictment states that “although individual H spoke about illegal donations, defendant Fortenberry did not file an amended report with the FEC regarding the 2016 fundraiser” and did not “return or attempt to distort the contributions.” “After the FBI and the USAO interviewed him in July 2019, defendant Fortenberry did not deny his involvement,” the indictment states.
Fortenberry is due to be sentenced on June 28. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, each charge carries a maximum sentence of up to five years in federal prison.
This story has been updated with additional background information.
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