Ex-state lawmaker arrested on mail-fraud charges

Former state lawmaker Paul King was arrested Monday on charges of mail fraud.

King, who represented the 44th District in Snohomish County as a Democrat from 1983 to 1989, was indicted by a federal grand jury last month.

In the indictment, King is accused of submitting a business plan to the state Department of Licensing, falsely claiming he was an employee and then applying for unemployment benefits. Between November 2004 and May 2005, King was paid more than $12,200, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

King also filed on behalf of his former domestic partner's daughter, who was paid more than $12,800 to which she was not entitled between January and July 2005, according to the indictment.

In June 2005, King sent the Washington State Employment Security a check for $12,480 to refund the money, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Mail fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

King is being held at a federal detention center pending a Thursday hearing at the Seattle U.S. District Court.

King is an attorney practicing in Snohomish and King counties.

Noelene Clark: 206-464-2321 or nclark@seattletimes.com