Washington Auditor Troy Kelley says he does not know why federal agents searched his Tacoma home on Monday, an event the News Tribune first reported this week.
"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 wrote in an emailed statement early Thursday.
The U.S. Attorney's office in Seattle has a policy of neither confirming nor denying the existence of an investigation until when any charges are filed, said spokesperson Emily Langlie.
The story about the search warrant being executed on Kelley's home broke late Wednesday. The News Tribune reported that Tacoma police were informed of the five-hour search by the U.S. Treasury Department as part of a routine notification.
Kelley, a Democrat, represented southern Pierce County's 28th District as a state representative for three terms before being elected state auditor by a 53 percent-to-47-percent margin in 2012, according to Ballotpedia. He is a lieutenant colonel in the Washington National Guard's Judge Advocate General's office and a former federal prosecutor.
Prior to become state auditor, he owned a business that tracked documents. His 2012 opponent for state auditor, Republican James Watkins, used a nasty lawsuit between Kelley and a former client, Old Republic Title, a title insurance firm. Old Republic Title alleged breach of contract and the misappropriation of $1.2 million against Kelley, according to Ballotpedia. Kelley denied the allegations. The case ended in 2011 with a closed settlement. No criminal charges were ever filed. The News Tribune noted that Kelly was asked questions about tax payments during that case.
