Former Washington state auditor sentenced to year in prison

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Former Washington state Auditor Troy Kelley has been sentenced to a year in prison following his conviction in December on fraud and other charges related to when he ran a real-estate escrow services business during the height of last decade's housing boom.

Friday's sentencing comes after Kelley's second trial, when he was found guilty of eight felonies, including possession of stolen property, making false declarations under oath, and tax fraud. The sentence of 12 months and one day, followed by a year of supervised release was issued after a nearly two-hour sentencing hearing.

His first federal fraud trial last year ended with an acquittal on one count and a deadlocked jury on more than a dozen others. The charges stemmed from Kelley's operation of a business which tracked escrow paperwork for title companies.

Prosecutors had sought more than seven years' incarceration, while Kelley's attorneys had asked the court to sentence him to five years' probation and six months house arrest. Prosecutors had also sought $1.4 million in forfeiture, which the judge denied. A separate restitution hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 21.