Worley Man Pleads Guilty to Mail Thefts

COEUR D’ALENE – A Worley, Idaho man has been caught red-handed in a brazen postal heist. Delbert William Lee, Jr., 44, pleaded guilty to stealing mail matter today, according to U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson.

Lee was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 19, 2016, for his alleged role in the theft of checks from a post office box shared with Twilla Marie St. Pierre, 39. The checks belonged to an unsuspecting victim who also happened to share the box with Lee’s co-conspirator.

Theft of mail matter is a serious charge, carrying potential penalties up to five years in prison, $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. Lee will face sentencing on March 8, 2017, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill.

St. Pierre had already pleaded guilty to theft or receipt of stolen mail matter on October 18, 2016, with her scheduled sentence set for January 18, 2017.

The Coeur d’Alene Tribal Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to Lee’s arrest. This case is part of President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF) efforts to tackle financial crimes head-on. Since its formation in November 2009, the task force has been instrumental in increasing investigation and prosecution of financial fraud.

Over the past three fiscal years, the Justice Department has filed over 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 15,000 defendants, including more than 2,700 mortgage fraud suspects. This coordinated effort has bolstered federal, state, and local cooperation in combating financial crime across the nation.

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