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Defendant Stole Over $330,000 in Cash from Elderly Victims
BOSTON – A former U.S. Postal Inspector was arrested and charged today for allegedly stealing over $330,000 in cash from packages mailed by elderly victims and then laundering the cash and failing to report it to the Internal Revenue Service.
Scott Kelley, 51, of Pembroke, Mass. was charged in a 45-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Boston. Specifically, Kelley was indicted on five counts of wire fraud; five counts of mail fraud; five counts of mail theft by a postal officer; one count of theft of government money; 23 counts of money laundering; one count of structuring to evade reporting requirements; and five counts of filing false tax returns.
Kelley was a Postal Inspector at the Boston Division headquarters of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the law enforcement arm of the Postal Service. From 2015 until June 2022, he was the Team Leader of the Mail Fraud Unit, which, among other things, investigated lottery and other scams that targeted senior citizens and other vulnerable populations.
According to the indictment, Kelley used deceptive emails to cause unwitting postal employees to intercept packages that a USPIS algorithm had flagged as likely having been mailed by JOLT scam victims and send them to him. In total, Kelley allegedly requested that approximately 1,950 packages be intercepted and mailed to him.
The indictment identifies seven victims who were scammed into mailing cash in parcels that Kelley allegedly intercepted, and that he opened the parcels and stole the cash. The average age of the victims was 75, with the oldest victim being 82. The victims mailed between $1,400 and $19,100 cash.
Kelley is expected to make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston this afternoon. The case against Kelley is a stark reminder of the corruption that can occur within law enforcement and the need for vigilant oversight and accountability.
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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