A Washington County woman was sentenced to 37 months in prison yesterday for failing to report and pay more than $630,000 in federal taxes.

Kathleen A. Lawson, of McDonald, owned her own business, Wels Cargo Courier Service in Cecil, and worked as a bookkeeper for W.E. Brosius Co. of Bridgeville.

Between 2000 and 2004, Ms. Lawson failed to remit payroll taxes for her business, even though the funds were withheld from the employees' pay.

At Brosius, Ms. Lawson prepared the proper forms and wrote company checks for the taxes due, but then embezzled the money.

She pleaded guilty in August.

Ms. Lawson was taken into custody after Senior U.S. District Judge Alan N. Bloch questioned why in recent months she had been gambling at the Meadows despite being subject to a $400,000 restitution order on a previous embezzlement conviction in Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas.