Franklyn "Lyn" C. Nofziger was a political consultant and lobbyist who had close ties to Ronald Reagan from the time he was governor through his presidency. After leaving the White House Nofziger was charged and convicted of violating a federal law that prohibits a former government official from lobbying his former agency for one year after leaving the government office. Nofziger was convicted of lobbying the White House on behalf of several defense contractors, which was the subject of several investigations in the late 1980s. However, his conviction was thrown out by a federal appeals court.

Nofziger, who had been an aide to Reagan when he was governor of California, played an important role in getting Reagan elected president in 1980. Reagan brought him into the White House as an assistant to the president for political affairs. Nofziger stayed exactly one year, leaving on January 20, 1982. Nofziger left this position to start a political consulting firm with Mark Bragg. Nofziger and Bragg were indicted for lobbying the White House in 1982 on three different occasions representing three different firms that wished to secure government contracts. The jury acquitted Bragg, but Nofziger was convicted and sentenced to 90 days in prison and a $30,000 fine.

The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reversed the Nofziger's conviction. It ruled that the judge should have dismissed the indictment because the government had failed to prove that Nofziger had knowledge that the matters he raised with the executive agency were, in fact, pending before that agency.