
News Stories
- Murtha lives on in one pet project
July 29, 2010 - Projects put Pennsylvania taxpayers on hook for $963 million
July 9, 2010 - Is Congressional Ethics Office Targeting Black Politicians?
June 29, 2010 - Big changes in store for spending panels
June 28, 2010 - Murtha's Turf, After Murtha
June 21, 2010 - Without Murtha, defense deals continue at Showcase
June 4, 2010 - House Ethics Office Asks for DoJ Probe of Earmarks
May 28, 2010 - Hill ethics office calls on Justice to probe donations-earmarks link
May 27, 2010 - FBI releases John Murtha files
May 25, 2010 - Murtha Donors Breathe Life Into Critz Coffers
May 23, 2010 - Anti-government? Not in Rep. Murtha's old district.
May 20, 2010 - Pa. House race was a referendum on legacy of Murtha
May 18, 2010 - Critz, Burns Battle For Murtha Seat
May 18, 2010 - Voters give pork pushers the chop
May 12, 2010 - Mollohan, Pa. Special Put Ethics in Spotlight
May 11, 2010 - Critz charges 'attack' on Murtha
May 3, 2010 - Firm With Close Ties to Murtha Moves Out
April 30, 2010 - Lawmakers press for PMA docs
April 29, 2010 - Ethics panel defends its probe of PMA Group
April 27, 2010 - Committee mum on earmarks probe
April 26, 2010 - The real problem with earmarks
April 19, 2010 - Rep. Jeff Flake to Push Ethics Committee on PMA Probe
April 6, 2010 - Saying 'no' to bridges to nowhere: Earmark reform
April 5, 2010 - DeLauro Spikes Earmark for Private Firm
April 5, 2010 - Specter’s picking up Murtha’s mantle – of pork
April 1, 2010 - Our view on congressional pork: Senate can’t kick its addiction to earmarks
March 25, 2010 - Firm Tied to Murtha Earmarks Goes Dark
March 16, 2010 - Dicks gets shot at raising House's ethical bar
March 16, 2010 - Anti-earmark forces have ally in Washington state lawmaker
March 13, 2010 - Tainted Rangel iceberg's tip
March 13, 2010 - Dem earmark ban would still allow a lot of spending to continue
March 12, 2010 - Ethics Groups Say Congress Should Go Further Than Proposed Earmark Ban
March 11, 2010 - Leaders in House Block Earmarks to Corporations
March 10, 2010 - Earmark ban ruffles feathers
March 10, 2010 - Thin wall separates lobbyist contributions and earmarks
March 7, 2010 - Earmarks Forever
March 6, 2010 - Critz was bookkeeper for company with multiple tax violations Critz was bookkeeper for company with multiple tax violations
March 5, 2010 - Hafer raises Murtha's ethics woes
March 4, 2010 - Editorial: Enablers
March 3, 2010 - Tiahrt Decision Highlights Tensions Over Ethics Process
March 1, 2010 - Concept of ethical behavior is dying in Washington
March 1, 2010 - Editorial: Pork still on the menu
March 1, 2010 - House Ethics Committee investigation clears Murtha
February 27, 2010 - Panel Clears 7 Lawmakers in Lobbying Scandal
February 26, 2010 - The Government's Most Appalling Scandals Of 2009
January 7, 2010 - No new contracts for Murtha-tied firm
January 5, 2010 - Murtha to mark congressional milestone
January 3, 2010 - Most corrupt politicians of 2009 named by Judicial Watch
January 1, 2010 - Rep. Murtha's earmarks lead to fewer jobs than promised
December 30, 2009 - EXCLUSIVE: Lobbyist's kin unlikely campaign contributors
December 23, 2009 - One Down: House Ethics Office Closes Murtha-PMA Probe
December 18, 2009 - Ethics Office Closes Inquiry on Lawmakers’ Ties to Lobbyists
December 18, 2009 - Democrats Have Yet To 'Drain the Swamp'
December 11, 2009 - Charlie Cook: Ethics Will Be Big Issue in 2010 House Races
November 30, 2009 - The Biggest Dem Scandal You've Never Heard Of
November 27, 2009 - Bad news for Democrats in revelation of ethics probes
November 1, 2009 - Jeff Flake to Nancy Pelosi: Strip PMA Group earmarks
October 30, 2009 - 7 on defense panel scrutinized
October 30, 2009 - Lawmakers targeted in ethics probe
October 30, 2009 - House Ethics Panel Probes Earmarks by 7 Lawmakers
October 29, 2009 - Earmark Probe Focusing on Former Aide to Visclosky
October 17, 2009 - Rangel's legal fees top $1 million
October 16, 2009 - Some Republicans see DeLay tactics behind attempted ouster of Rangel
October 15, 2009 - Department of Justice could take Sen. John Ensign case
October 14, 2009 - Washington's Worst: McConnell and 14 Other Corrupt Lawmakers
September 15, 2009 - Earmarks, Contributions, Contracts
October 16, 2008
The 15 most corrupt members of Congress
- Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL)
- Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL)
- Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA)
- Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA)
- Sen. John Ensign (R-NV)
- Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)
- Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
- Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
- Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV)
- Rep. John P. Murtha (D-PA)
- Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-NY)
- Rep. Laura Richardson (D-CA)
- Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-IN)
- Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA)
- Rep. Don Young (R-AK)
Dishonorable mentions
Rep. John P. Murtha (D-PA)

NEW! Check out Pork Parade, our interactive web detailing all of Rep. Murtha's connections to the defense industry and its lobbyists!
Representative John P. Murtha (D-PA) is a nineteen-term member of Congress, representing Pennsylvania’s 12th congressional district. Rep. Murtha chairs the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee. Rep. Murtha’s ethics issues and violations stem from (1) his ties to the PMA Group, a now defunct lobbying firm under federal investigation; (2) his ties to Kuchera Industries, a defense contractor under federal investigation; (3) his ties to defense executives and former military personnel convicted of skimming money from government contracts; (4) actions he may have taken to benefit his brother’s lobbying clients; and (5) his chief of staff’s threats to a political opponent. Rep. Murtha was included in CREW’s 2006, 2007, and 2008 reports on congressional corruption.
PMA Group Investigation
Paul Magliocchetti worked with Rep. Murtha as a senior staffer on the Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense for 10 years. After leaving the committee, Mr. Magliocchetti founded the PMA Group, which was one of the most prominent Washington, D.C. defense lobbying firms. In November 2008, federal authorities raided the offices of the PMA Group and the home of Mr. Magliocchetti. The PMA Group is being investigated for allegedly violating campaign finance laws by using “straw” donors to make contributions to lawmakers, concealing the true source of the money. In some cases, lawmakers received contributions from individuals listed as PMA lobbyists despite the fact that the individuals were never employees of the firm. Additionally, Mr. Magliocchetti may have reimbursed his employees for contributions made to candidates. After news of the raid broke, the lobbying shop closed its doors on March 31, 2009.
Despite the investigations into PMA’s practices, lawmakers have continued to earmark for the firm’s former clients with Rep. Murtha requesting $16.2 million in earmarks for Parametric Technology Corporation, Ardiem Medical, MobileVox, DRS Technologies, and MTS Technologies. In exchange, these companies made contributions to Rep. Murtha’s campaign committee and PAC.
On June 11, 2009, the Ethics Committee revealed it was investigating “certain, specific allegations within the committee’s jurisdiction” relating to the PMA Group The Ethics Committee’s statement did not mention any specific lawmaker by name, and Rep. Murtha’s spokesperson said the committee had not contacted his office.
Since 1998, Rep. Murtha has accepted $2,378,552 from PMA Group employees and clients of the firm, making him the biggest recipient of contributions from the firm.
Kuchera Corporation Investigation
In January 2009, federal investigators raided the headquarters of Kuchera Corporation as well as the homes of the company’s two top executives. The investigation concerns the misuse of corporate funds to finance a private ranch owned by the company’s president, Bill Kuchera, and contract fraud. In response to the investigation surrounding the firm, the U.S. Navy placed the company on its Excluded Parties List, barring the firm from receiving any more federal contracts. The suspension was revoked, however, after Kuchera agreed to alter some of its accounting practices.
In 1982, Mr. Kuchera pleaded guilty to a single felony count related to drug trafficking and spent less than a year in prison. After his release Mr. Kuchera approached his uncle, then the owner of Kuchera Industries, based in Racine, Wisconsin, for a job. When Mr. Kuchera’s partner in the drug-running operation, Peter Whorley, was released from prison in 1986, he approached Mr. Kuchera and invested $50,000 in the fledgling company in exchange for a share of the profits. Kuchera’s felony conviction never barred his company from winning contracts to handle sensitive government work.
Since 2001, Rep. Murtha has directed approximately $50 million in earmarks to Kuchera Industries. In turn, since 2002, employees of Kuchera Industries and their families have donated to $90,500 to Rep. Murtha’s campaign committee. Additionally, since 2006, employees as well as their families have donated $7,000 to Rep. Murtha’s PAC. Kuchera Industries shares links with a host of other Rep. Murtha connected organizations, including lobbyists and defense contractors.
KSA Consulting
KSA Consulting is a lobbying firm that has employed Rep. Murtha’s brother, Robert “Kit” Murtha, as well as Carmen Scialabba. Mr. Scialabba joined KSA Consulting after leaving the House Appropriations Committee where he worked as an aide to Rep. Murtha. KSA clients that have received earmarks from Rep. Murtha include Aeptec Microsystems, Coherent Systems International, MountainTop Technologies, and KDH Technologies.
Mr. Murtha was personally invited to join KSA Consulting as a lobbyist in 2002 by Mr. Scialabba, where he established a reputation as an “earmark specialist.” In 2004, Congress passed a $417 billion defense appropriations bill, which included earmarks benefitting at least 10 companies represented by KSA Consulting. Records show that KSA Consulting directly lobbied Rep. Murtha’s office for seven of those companies. Mr. Murtha retired from KSA Consulting in 2006.
Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC)
CTC is a large non-profit that in 2007 received $220,423,075 in funding from the federal government. The group’s 990 form also indicates that it paid the PMA Group $461,334 for consulting services. Since 2002, CTC’s employees and employees’ family members have donated more than $126,000 to Rep. Murtha’s political committees and leadership PAC.
Commonwealth Research Institute (CRI) is a subsidiary non-profit of CTC. In 2007, the non-profit received $5,104,829 in funding from the federal government. Since 2003, the group’s totally funding has jumped from $632,884 to just over $5 million.
Federal authorities continue their investigation into (CTC) and its subsidiary, Commonwealth Research Institute (CRI). CRI is under particular scrutiny concerning the process in which it was awarded its non-profit status. When CRI petitioned the IRS for tax-exempt status the IRS questioned whether the group’s purpose as a research institute was adequate rationale for tax-exempt status and noted that “research results must be made available to the interested public.” CRI responded that it planned to work primarily with government contracts, only a small portion of which would be classified. But in the nine years since the group petitioned the government for tax-exempt status, it has never published any of its government backed research.
Previously, CRI caught the attention of the Pentagon’s Office of Inspector General (IG), which was investigating payments made by CRI to an Air Force official awaiting confirmation for work that was never done. Shortly after admitting to a Washington Post reporter that he was being paid, but not doing any work in return, the official committed suicide. The IG’s investigation has been placed on hold pending the outcome of other probes into Rep. Murtha related entities.
If, as it appears, Rep. Murtha accepted donations to his campaign and political action committees in direct exchange for earmarking federal funds, he may have committed bribery and honest services fraud and engaged in conduct not reflecting credibility on the House.
