campaign donations. Fortenberry was quoted as saying after the trial, "We always felt like it was going to be hard to have a fair process here, so this appeal starts immediately", but he could not appeal until after sentencing. Fortenberry faced up to five years in prison on each of the three felony counts, as well as fines. He is the first member of Congress convicted while in office since Chaka Fattah in 2016. Within days of Fortenberry's conviction, lawmakers from both parties called on him to resign from Congress. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said on March 25, "I think he had his day in court... I think if he wants to appeal, he could go do that as a private citizen... But I think when someone's convicted, it's time to resign." On March 26, Fortenberry issued a written statement to his colleagues in the House that said, "Due to the difficulties of my current circumstances, I can no longer effectively serve. I will resign from Congress effective March 31, 2022." On June 28, 2022, federal judge Stanley Blumenfeld sentenced Fortenberry to two years' probation, 320 hours of community service and a $25,000 fine. References External links |- 1960 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American criminals American economists Catholic High School (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) alumni Catholics from Nebraska Franciscan University of Steubenville alumni Living people Louisiana State University alumni McCourt School of Public Policy alumni Nebraska city council members Nebraska politicians convicted of crimes Politicians from Baton Rouge, Louisiana Politicians from Lincoln, Nebraska Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska