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Regional Journalism

Closing Arguments Expected Tuesday In Troy Kelley Trial

Washington Legislature
Washington State Auditor Troy Kelley is on trial on charges of money laundering and tax evasion.

Closing arguments are expected Tuesday in the trial of Washington State Auditor Troy Kelley. The defense plans to call its last witness Monday.

The real estate services and tax fraud case against Kelley is complex and involves 16 federal charges. U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton has set aside two hours each for the prosecution and defense to make their closing arguments to the jury.

The stakes are high for Kelley. If convicted he could face a federal prison term and could be forced from office. But since he was indicted a year ago, Kelley has maintained his innocence and vowed he’ll be vindicated.

“I am very confident, very confident that I’ll be able to prove my innocence,” Kelley said the day his indictment was announced last April. “I eagerly look forward to doing that in an open court of law.”

The case against Kelley stems from his prior work in the real estate services industry before he was elected state auditor in 2012.

Since January 2004, Austin Jenkins has been the Olympia-based political reporter for the Northwest News Network. In that position, Austin covers Northwest politics and public policy, as well as the Washington State Legislature. You can also see Austin on television as host of TVW's (the C–SPAN of Washington State) Emmy-nominated public affairs program "Inside Olympia."