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…