NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF — FBI agents executed a search warrant late last week on Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles as the first-term Republican faces continuing scrutiny over fraudulent campaign financial reports that he filed, NewsChannel 5 has confirmed.
Following NewsChannel 5's revelation, Ogles posted a statement on social media admitting that his cell phone had been seized by the FBI.
"It has been widely reported for months that my campaign made mistakes in our initial financial filings. We have worked diligently with attorneys and reporting experts to correct the errors and ensure compliance going forward," Ogles said in the statement.
"Last Friday, the FBI took possession of my cell phone. It is my understanding that they are investigating the same well-known facts surrounding these filings."
It has been widely reported for months that my campaign made mistakes in our initial financial filings. We have worked diligently with attorneys and reporting experts to correct the errors and ensure compliance going forward. Last Friday, the FBI took possession of my cell phone.…
— Congressman Andy Ogles (@AndyOgles) August 6, 2024
Earlier in the day, Ogles' attorney had declined to comment on the search.
“I’m not going to confirm or deny that there was a search warrant issued,” the attorney, G. Kline Preston IV, told NewsChannel 5 Investigates in a brief conversation.
A spokesperson for the FBI declined to comment, referring questions about Ogles to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.
“Pursuant to department policy, we have no comment,” U.S. Attorney spokesperson Mark Wildasin said in an email to NewsChannel 5.
Law enforcement sources in Maury County, where Ogles’ home is located, were not notified about any searches, although one source was told that the FBI had executed a search warrant somewhere in the county in recent days.
Neighbors in the sparsely populated rural area told NewsChannel 5 Investigates that they had not seen any unusual activity around the congressman’s home.
Execution of the search warrant came immediately after Ogles defeated Courtney Johnston in the Republican primary as he seeks a second term in the U.S. Congress. Department of Justice guidelines generally prohibit law enforcement from taking any overt actions in investigations of a political candidate in the 60 days before an election.
Back in May, Ogles filed a series of amended campaign financial reports, admitting he had not personally loaned his campaign $320,000 as he had reported back in 2022.
Other amendments to his campaign financial reports resulted in Ogles retracting claims regarding thousands of dollars in campaign contributions and expenditures that he had previously reported to the Federal Election Commission.
That development came several months after NewsChannel 5 Investigates raised questions about whether Ogles had the financial resources to make that personal loan. Despite having reported making the $320,000 personal loan, Ogles' personal financial disclosures did not show any substantial investments — not even a savings account.
A watchdog group, the Campaign Legal Center, later filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics, comparing Ogles’ conduct to disgraced New York Congressman George Santos.
Santos is now facing a criminal indictment that accuses him of reporting non-existent personal loans to his campaign in order to be eligible for other campaign contributions.
Regarding the FBI investigation, Ogles said: "I will of course fully cooperate with them, just as I have with the Federal Election Commission. I am confident all involved will conclude that the reporting discrepancies were based on honest mistakes, and nothing more."
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