The Federal Bureau of Investigation raided a defense lobbying firm founded by an aide to Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) back in November, sources tell ABC News. The PMA Group was founded by Paul Magliochetti and specializes in winning earmarked taxpayer funds for clients.

Good government groups have long criticized Murtha’s cozy relationship with a handful of lobbyists and defense firms, ties that see millions of dollars in government spending go out from Murtha’s office, and hundreds of thousands in campaign donations come in. Murtha has said his earmarking has helped revive his economically depressed district.

PMA is the second company with close ties Murtha to be raided by federal agents recently. In January, agents from the FBI, the IRS and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service searched the office of Kuchera Industries and Kuchera Defense Systems, as well as the homes of the firms’ founders. The companies reportedly have received over $100 million in earmarks, thanks to Murtha’s efforts.

ABC News says that some surrounding Murtha may be in a heightened state of panic.

While it is unclear whether Murtha is a target of the investigations, the heightened scrutiny of some of his closest donors and allies signals that the Feds may be inching closer to the 35-year-member of Congress, who chairs the powerful Defense Appropriations subcommittee.

“The FBI is showing a lot of interest in” a lot of people around Murtha, said Keith Ashdown of Taxpayers for Common Sense. “If I was in Murtha’s camp, I would not be sleeping at night.”

The PMA Group confirms the FBI raid, but a spokesman for Murtha insists that the earmark-happy Congressman isn’t the center of the FBI’s investigation. “I’m not going to waste my time with sensationalized journalism,” the spokesman told ABC News.

How exactly has PMA benefited from its founder’s relationship to Murtha? The company was able to secure a whopping $299 million in earmarks for its clients. Among the clients? Major donors to none other than…Murtha.

While the firm represents some defense giants like Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics, a large portion of their business comes from small defense firms headquartered in and around Murtha’s district. In addition to Magliochetti, at least one other former Murtha aide, Julie Giardina, also works at PMA.

The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has called Murtha one of the most corrupt members of Congress, for taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from companies and writing them millions of dollars in earmarks. Murtha has declined to comment on the designation.

You’ll recall that this isn’t the first controversy Murtha has been involved in. He was the target of an FBI investigation during the 70′s, known as the Abscam scandal, in which agents posing as representatives for Arab sheikhs offered large amounts of money to lawmakers for favors. While Murtha didn’t accept the money at the time, he did suggest that they find ways to put it into his disctrict.