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March 18, 2022Los Angeles |  By: AP

Lawyers duel over donations, intent at congressman's trial

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LOS ANGELES (AP) - A prosecutor says a little-known Republican congressman from Nebraska lied to federal authorities about illegal campaign contributions from a Nigerian-born billionaire.

But a defense attorney says the case is built on concocted evidence and assumptions by investigators intent on charging U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry.

A jury of eight women and four men heard the competing versions of events at opening arguments in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. 

The conservative nine-term congressman faces allegations he lied to federal investigators about an illegal $30,000 contribution from 2016, which he denies. Prosecutor J. Jamari Buxton say Fortenberry followed an "illegal path" of lies and concealment.