Ex-PMA Group lobbyists move on

Alumni
of a defense-lobbying firm raided by the FBI in November have set up a new
consulting shop that is representing the raided firm, the PMA Group.

Capitol
Consulting Group was set up by three former PMA lobbyists: Lynn Henselman,
Patrick Hiu and Gillian Jaeger, all of whom worked with PMA through November,
according to a source. It appears to be the first offshoot of PMA, which is
rapidly disintegrating .

{mosads}The
firm represents PMA along with several of the defense firm’s former clients,
according to lobbying disclosure records. It registered its first client —
EWyatt Consulting — on Dec. 3, 2008, according to disclosure forms.

Capitol
Consulting registered PMA as a client on Jan. 5, 2009. The registration forms
indicate Capitol Consulting and PMA will represent six listed clients: Albany
State University, Northfield Laboratories Inc., LifeCell Corp., Health Net
Federal Services, Livingston College and Concordia College.

Capitol
Consulting will lobby on several different appropriations bills for the 2010
fiscal year, according to the forms.

“These
are clients that are in transition,” said Patrick Dorton, a spokesman for PMA
who would not comment on other details of PMA’s business. “There will be
further changes to their lobbying registration over the next couple of months.”

Federal
agents raided the Arlington, Va., office of PMA in November, but news of the
raid broke only last week. Since then, PMA has disintegrated and several
sources familiar with the firm told The Hill that it will no longer exist as a
company under that name.

The
raids are reportedly related to a federal investigation into illegal campaign
donations involving Paul Magliocchetti, a former House defense appropriations
staffer who founded PMA.

Henselman,
Hiu and Jaeger were the first PMA lobbyists to leave the firm and start their
own business. Initially, the lobbyists — who specialized mostly in healthcare —
worked out of PMA’s Arlington offices, but no longer do, according to a source
familiar with the situation.

Several
other high-profile lobbyists quit PMA earlier this month and opened their own
consulting firm, Flagship Government Relations . Those lobbyists left after
failed negotiations with Magliocchetti on a buyout.

Flagship
may also compete for some of PMA’s former clients.

Capitol
Consulting has a contract with Neuromonics Inc., which had been represented by
PMA. It has also attracted a new client, Advanced Tactics Inc., which until January
did not have Washington representation. The new firm also has a separate
registration for LifeCell.

Henselman,
a former professional staff member on the House Armed Services Committee, did
not return repeated calls for comment on Capitol Consulting. Henselman is
listed as the point of contact for the firm.