ROSEBURG (AP) - A former Douglas County tax collection clerk has been fined $14,500 for violating state ethics laws.

Vickey Tanferani, who worked for the county for 14 years, was fired in February 2000 after an audit revealed the theft of $65,000 in property tax receipts. She later spent five months under house arrest after pleading guilty to aggravated theft, forgery and official misconduct.

Those convictions formed the basis of the ethics complaint against her. In March, the Oregon Government Standards and Practices Commission ruled that Tanferani violated laws prohibiting public officials from using their position for financial gain.

The commission levied the fine on Friday.

Tanferani refused to cooperate with the ethics investigation, saying she thought all action against her was completed when she pleaded guilty to the criminal charges. Tanferani wrote to the commission she has already paid Douglas County back $40,000 and was to make two further payments of $12,500.