BOSTON, MA – Friday — He was supposed to protect the mail, but federal prosecutors say he turned it into his personal piggy bank — stealing hundreds of thousands in cash from elderly scam victims and living it up on tropical cruises, luxury home upgrades, and escorts.
Scott Kelley, 51, of Pembroke, was hit with a sweeping 45-count federal indictment Friday, accused of intercepting nearly 2,000 packages suspected to contain scam-related payments from elderly Americans — then pocketing the money. Prosecutors say he funneled over $330,000 in stolen cash into personal luxuries including a granite-topped outdoor bar, pool patio lighting, and cruise trips — and even used some of the loot to pay for escorts.
Kelley, a former team leader of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Mail Fraud and Mail Theft Units in Boston, allegedly targeted parcels flagged by an internal algorithm designed to intercept payments from victims of Jamaican lottery scams. He used internal systems to redirect flagged packages to himself, according to prosecutors.
Between 2019 and August 2023, he allegedly opened packages — often without authorization — and skimmed cash from inside. The victims, mostly in their 70s and 80s, had mailed thousands believing they were paying fees to claim nonexistent sweepstakes prizes.
The indictment outlines that Kelley arranged for about 1,950 packages to be routed to him, many of which he opened in violation of USPS protocol. If a package contained cash, inspectors were required to count it with a witness and issue a check to the sender — procedures Kelley allegedly sidestepped.
Prosecutors say he even confronted at least one victim, falsely claiming ignorance about their missing package and blaming them for mailing cash.
The scheme extended beyond the mailroom. Kelley is accused of using a colleague’s security credentials to enter an evidence vault, where he allegedly stole $7,000 in cash. He then blamed a subordinate, sparking an internal investigation and reportedly lying to federal agents to cover up his theft.
To disguise the source of the stolen funds, Kelley allegedly laundered nearly $340,000, converting portions into postal money orders and depositing cash in small increments across multiple banks. Investigators say he listed relatives as fake purchasers on dozens of money orders and structured deposits to avoid triggering bank reporting thresholds.
Kelley also allegedly filed false tax returns, omitting the income gained from his thefts.
He now faces charges including mail and wire fraud, mail theft, government theft, money laundering, structuring to avoid financial reporting, and filing false tax returns. Kelley is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston later Friday.
If convicted, he faces significant prison time and financial penalties.