Capuano Got $60K from PMA Group

U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano, D-Mass., received $60,000 for his campaign from donors tied to a firm probed by the FBI, an analysis of the firm’s giving indicates.

Capuano, whose congressional district was once represented by John F. Kennedy and Tip O’Neill, also inserted earmarks for three of the lobbying firm’s Massachusetts clients into recent defense spending bills, the analysis by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics said.

The high-powered PMA Group, specializing in obtaining billions in earmarks in the defense budget for clients, shut down this week, two months after news broke that the FBI had raided its offices in November.

The Justice Department is investigating whether PMA used illegal straw campaign contributors as a front to funnel illegal donations to friendly lawmakers, a felony that could carry a minimum sentence of five years, The New York Times reported.

Read more: (“Analysis: Capuano Got $60K from PMA Group,” United Press International, 4/02/09)