The FBI executed a search warrant on Republican Representative Andy Ogles of Tennessee late last week amid controversy over an allegedly fraudulent campaign finance report, according to a report.
The warrant may have been limited to Ogles’ electronic devices, says the report published Tuesday by Nashville CBS affiliate WTVF. Ogles is “now facing a criminal indictment” over an alleged campaign finance violation, the station said.
In April, an amended Ogles campaign finance report said that a previously reported $320,000 personal loan from Ogles to his campaign never happened. The campaign said the congressman loaned $20,000 instead, blaming the discrepancy on a filing error.
A spokesperson for the Memphis field office of the FBI sent Newsweek the following statement: “Pursuant to U.S. Department of Justice policy, we can neither confirm nor deny.”
Newsweek reached out for comment to the office of Ogles and Ogles’ attorney via email on Tuesday.
While details about the purported warrant are unclear, WTVF reported that a law enforcement source said an FBI search was conducted somewhere in Maury County, where the congressman has a home. However, neighbors told the outlet that they had not seen “any unusual activity” around the Ogles’ home in recent days.
Earlier this year, watchdog group Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint against Ogles with the Office of Congressional Ethics, accusing the congressman of failing to “properly disclose his financial interests” and claiming that his financial disclosures “include over $1 million in financial discrepancies.”
Ogles, who is currently serving his first term and won a GOP primary in search of a second term last week, arrived in Congress riding a wave of controversy in early 2023, due to a history of making late property tax payments and a report claiming that he had lied about his educational accomplishments while campaigning.
In an alleged fabrication that earned Ogles comparisons to disgraced former Congressman George Santos, the Tennessee Republican claimed to have graduated with a degree in economics. A WTVF investigation later found that he had instead taken a single economics class in community college, which he barely passed.
Ogles has been a vocal critic of President Joe Biden and an outspoken supporter of former President Donald Trump since first running for his House seat in 2022, going on to introduce articles of impeachment against both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris about six months after being sworn into office.
Last month, just two days after Biden dropped out of this year’s presidential election and endorsed Harris, Ogles introduced new articles of impeachment against Harris, accusing the vice president of “high crimes and misdemeanors” due to Biden’s immigration policies and “extraordinary incompetence in the execution of her duties and responsibilities.”
