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A former U.S. postal inspector who led teams investigating mail fraud and mail theft is charged with stealing more than $330,000 in cash from older victims who were scammed into sending money, federal prosecutors said.

Scott Kelley, 51, of Pembroke, Massachusetts, laundered the stolen cash and used it to pay for a new pool patio and outdoor renovations, escorts and $4,300 in expenses during three Caribbean cruises, including to buy drinks from cruise bars, according to prosecutors.

Kelley was arrested Aug. 29, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a news release that day.

Prosecutors said a 45-count indictment charges him with:

Attorney Daniel J. Gaudet, who Kelley retained as his legal counsel, did not immediately return McClatchy News’ request for comment Sept. 2.

Kelley worked as an inspector at the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston headquarters, where he was in charge of the mail fraud unit from 2015 until June 2022, according to prosecutors. Then he led a mail theft unit until August 2023.

The mail fraud unit, according to prosecutors, “investigated lottery and other scams that targeted senior citizens and other vulnerable populations,” including victims he is accused of stealing from between January 2019 and Aug. 11, 2023.

In that span of time, Kelley had postal employees intercept nearly 2,000 packages and directed them to mail the packages to him because an algorithim used by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service flagged the packages as potentially linked to a lottery scam based out of Jamaica, prosecutors said.

The packages were suspected to be mailed by victims who were duped into believing they won a sweepstakes prize or the lottery and that they had mail fees to collect their winnings, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Postal inspectors investigating the scheme had the authority to intercept these packages and could open them only if the sender agreed, prosecutors said.

After deceiving postal employees into sending packages to him, Kelley opened packages “that looked or felt like they might contain cash,” then “stole any cash inside,” according to prosecutors.

Kelley’s indictment mentions seven older individuals he stole from by taking cash out of their intercepted packages, prosecutors said. The victims’ average age was 75 and the oldest victim was 82, according to prosecutors.

The amount of cash they sent ranged between $1,400 and $19,100, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Their money was never returned to them.

“It is alleged that Kelley met with one victim in person and told them that that he did not know what had happened with their package and that their loss was their own fault because they had mailed cash,” prosecutors said.

In addition to stealing from intercepted packages, Kelley also stole $7,000 in cash from a U.S. Postal Inspection Service evidence locker, according to prosecutors.

He used one postal employee’s key to open the locker, prosecutors said, adding that he first used another employee’s keypad to sneak into an evidence vault where the locker was located.

Kelley ultimately accused another postal inspector of stealing the $7,000, prosecutors said.

Nearly $340,000 in cash was tied to his theft, which he tried to hide, while he worked as a postal inspector, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“He allegedly used almost $160,000 of the stolen cash to buy postal money orders, most of which he deposited into his own bank accounts or used to pay credit card bills,” prosecutors said.

Kelley deposited more than $130,000 in cash into four different bank accounts at two separate banks, according to prosecutors.

Of the stolen cash, Kelley used $20,500 to install a patio surrounding his pool, prosecutors said. He is also accused of spending $2,000 to heat his pool.

He also spent $2,800 for a granite countertop for his outdoor bar, as well as $4,888 for lights around his pool and the bar, according to prosecutors.

Kelley also paid $15,400 for sexual services from two escorts “with whom he texted using a burner phone and whom he met during workdays,” prosecutors said.

Kelley was expected to have his first court appearance in Boston on Aug. 29, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Pembroke, where Kelley is from, is about a 30-mile drive southeast from Boston.

BOSTON —

A former inspector for the U.S. Postal Service is accused of using almost $340,000 in cash stolen from the mail to pay for escorts, pool upgrades and travel, according to federal prosecutors.

Scott Kelley, 51, of Pembroke, was arrested and charged in a 45-count indictment alleging wire fraud, mail fraud, mail theft by a postal officer, theft of government money, money laundering, structuring to evade reporting requirements and filing false tax returns, according to the Massachusetts U.S. attorney's office.

Prosecutors allege Kelley used stolen cash to pay $20,500 for a patio around his pool, $2,000 to heat the pool, $2,800 for a granite countertop on his outdoor bar, $4,888 for lights around his pool and bar, $4,300 for bar drinks and other costs on three Caribbean cruises, and $15,400 for sexual services from two escorts during workdays.

As a postal inspector, Kelley was part of the law enforcement arm of the Postal Service. Prosecutors said he led the Mail Fraud Unit from 2015 through June 2022 and then became the team leader of the Mail Theft Unit until August 2023.

Kelley was authorized to intercept packages suspected to have been sent by victims of Jamaica-based fraud schemes, but prosecutors said those items were only supposed to be opened with the sender's consent. It is alleged that Kelley caused other Postal Service employees to redirect packages to him using this investigation as a pretense.

Prosecutors also allege Kelley stole the money by convincing seven victims, with an average age of 75, to mail cash in parcels that he intercepted and opened.

"It is alleged that Kelley opened intercepted parcels that looked or felt like they might contain cash, and that he stole any cash inside," the U.S. attorney's office wrote in a statement.

Additionally, Kelley is accused of using an employee's keypad code to enter an evidence vault and another inspector's key to open an evidence locker from which he stole $7,000 in cash.

"Kelley wrote a memo blaming the other Postal Inspector for the missing $7,000, which resulted in a USPS Office of Inspector General investigation," prosecutors wrote.

Prosecutors said he used almost $160,000 of the stolen money to buy postal money orders, which were later deposited into his own bank account or used to pay credit card bills. Another $130,000 was deposited into four accounts at two banks and spread over 60 dates.

Kelley pleaded not guilty Friday and was released on $25,000 unsecured bond. As part of his release, he was required to surrender his passport, avoid contact with victims and not have firearms in his home.