A Florida man connected to an illegal campaign contribution scheme orchestrated by the head of one of the top lobbying firms in Washington, D.C., was found dead from an apparent suicide, the Fernandina Beach News-Leader reported Thursday.

John Pugliese, who served as a board member of the PMA Group, was found dead in his Nassau County home early Thursday evening, the Florida newspaper reported.

Paul Magliocchetti, the founder of the PMA Group, was indicted in August on eight counts of making illegal campaign contributions and three counts of making false statements. The firm was raided by the FBI in November 2008 and shut its doors in March 2009.

Magliocchetti pleaded guilty in September to making $386,000 worth of illegal campaign contributions via family members and friends.

Roll Call reported in February 2009 that Magliocchetti had added to the PMA board two Florida men who had no apparent connection to politics or lobbying but who became prodigious donors to candidates favored by the firm.

One was Pugliese, described in campaign finance records as a sommelier at the Ritz-Carlton hotel on Amelia Island, a beach resort area in northeastern Florida. He was never charged in the case.