Former Postal Investigator Charged with Stealing Over $330,000
A former U.S. postal investigator, who led the fraud division, faces serious allegations for reportedly stealing over $330,000 from packages sent by victims, utilizing the funds for home improvements, vacations, and escorts, as stated by the Justice Department.
Scott Kelley, 51, from Massachusetts, was indicted on Friday in a 45-count case presented by a Boston grand jury. The charges include wire fraud, mail fraud, theft of mail by a postal officer, theft of government funds, money laundering, structuring transactions to avoid reporting, and filing fraudulent tax returns.
Kelley allegedly diverted cash from various packages, laundering the money to fund personal expenses such as $15,400 on escort services and substantial amounts for a new swimming pool patio, lighting, and a granite countertop for his outdoor bar. He also reportedly allocated $4,300 for a Caribbean cruise.
From 2015 until June 2022, Kelley served as the team leader of the Mail Fraud Unit within the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which is responsible for investigating the types of scams that he reportedly exploited. Following this, he led the Mail Theft Unit from June 2022 until August 2023.
Between 2019 and 2023, Kelley allegedly sent misleading emails to unsuspecting postal employees instructing them to intercept packages suspected to contain cash from victims of a Jamaican scam targeting Americans, who were told they needed to send money to claim winnings from lotteries or sweepstakes.
Although postal workers were permitted to intercept suspected scam packages, they were prohibited from opening them without the sender’s permission. If a package was opened, they had to count the cash in the presence of another employee and send a check back to the sender.
Kelley is alleged to have requested nearly 1,950 packages be forwarded to him, from which he took the cash, according to the DOJ.
The indictment identifies seven victims, all averaging 75 years in age, with the oldest being 82. These victims had sent amounts ranging from $1,400 to $19,100 to the scammers.
Kelley reportedly met with at least one victim, misleading them into believing their package was misdelivered and attributing the loss to their decision to mail cash. The DOJ confirmed that no victims recovered their funds or packages.
Additionally, he has been accused of using a key belonging to another postal inspector directly under his supervision, stealing $7,000 from an evidence locker and subsequently blaming that inspector for the theft.
Kelley is reported to have laundered nearly $340,000 by purchasing postal money orders while concealing his role as purchaser and payee, and by making over 60 bank deposits across two banks through four different accounts.
If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison for each charge of wire fraud, money laundering, and mail fraud, with lesser sentences for other offenses, including a maximum of 10 years for theft of government money.
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