⏱ 3 min read
A former US Postal Inspector, Scott Kelley, 52, of Pembroke, Massachusetts, has pleaded guilty to stealing over $340,000 in cash from packages mailed by elderly victims of lottery fraud scams. Kelley, who was a federal law enforcement officer authorized to carry a firearm and make arrests, worked at the Boston Division headquarters of the US Postal Inspection Service. He supervised a team that investigated lottery and other scams targeting senior citizens, but instead of protecting them, he exploited his position to steal from the very people he was supposed to help.
Kelley’s crimes began in 2015, when he became the Team Leader of the Mail Fraud team. He used his knowledge of the mail system to identify and steal packages containing cash sent by victims of Jamaican lottery scams. The scammers would contact elderly persons, persuading them to mail funds to pay supposed fees or taxes before they could collect their prize. Kelley would then intercept these packages and steal the cash, laundering some of it and failing to report it to the IRS.
Kelley’s guilt was established in a US District Court, where he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, mail theft, money laundering, and filing false tax returns. He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 18, 2026, and faces significant prison time for his crimes.
The case highlights the vulnerability of elderly citizens to scams and the importance of law enforcement agencies protecting them. Instead, Kelley abused his position of trust to enrich himself, causing harm to those who needed his protection. His guilty plea is a step towards justice, but it also raises questions about how such a high-ranking officer was able to commit these crimes without being detected for so long.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Public Corruption
- Defendant: Massachusetts
- Location: MA
- Source: DOJ Press Release
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Public CorruptionPublic CorruptionPublic CorruptionPublic Corruption