Feds subpoena state auditor's documents, days after agents searched his Tacoma home
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The office of State Auditor Troy Kelley was turning over documents to the federal government Thursday in response to a subpoena from the Department of Justice, just days after federal agents searched his home.
Auditor spokesman Thomas Shapley said the documents were in response to a March 6 subpoena, but that he had not seen the subpoena or the documents that were being handed over.
The latest development comes after agents with the Treasury Department spent about five hours searching Kelley's home Monday. He is out of state on vacation and issued a statement saying he had no knowledge of any investigation.
Kelley's schedule indicates he'll be back in the office on Monday, Shapley said.
The U.S. attorney's office in Seattle has declined to confirm or deny any investigation, and IRS officials declined to comment.
Gov. Jay Inslee hasn't spoken to Kelley, and he only learned of the raid through news reports, spokesman David Postman said Thursday. "We are certainly going to be monitoring this," Postman said.
TEXT BELOW FROM EARLIER Q13 FOX NEWS STORY:
U.S. Treasury agents on Monday executed a search warrant at the Tacoma home of State Auditor Troy Kelley while he was out of state on vacation, it was learned Wednesday.
It is unknown why the search was conducted.
Tacoma police spokeswoman Lorreta Cool confirmed Wednesday night the U.S. Treasury Department called the Tacoma Police Department to inform them of their plans to serve a search warrant on Monday.
She said agents spent about five hours in the house.
Cool said she did not know who lived at the home, but the home is listed in the name of Troy Xavier Kelley, the state auditor.
In a statement sent to Q13 FOX News, Kelley said, "I have been out of the state on family vacation since Friday night. We were not there when our home was reportedly searched and have not yet returned. I have not been served a search warrant and have not been informed of any reasons for a search."
Kelley, 50, was elected state auditor in 2012 and took office in January 2013. Before that, he served three terms in the state House of Representatives.
Kelley, a lawyer, came under scrutiny a few years ago for a past business dealing.
He ran a business that processed and tracked mortgage title documents. A former client of his, Old Republic Title, had filed suit against him in 2010, alleging that he had kept $1.2 million in fees that should have been refunded to Old Republic's customers.
According to NPR.org, Kelley and Old Republic settled the lawsuit in 2011. Kelley paid an undisclosed amount, but admitted no wrongdoing.