Postmaster Overseas at Army Camp Post Office Arrested for Theft of Public Funds

HOUSTON—Delmus Eugene Scott Jr. has been charged with one count of theft of public funds in connection with his civilian duties at an overseas army post, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced today.

Scott, 34, was the custodian of public effects (COPE), the equivalent of a postmaster, although not a postal employee, at the Camp Buehring Post Office in Kuwait from January 2008 until June 2010. His duties included handling the finances and selling postal financial products, to include the issuance of postal money orders. When not working overseas, Scott resides in the Humble, Texas area.

Scott was arrested today in Jefferson County by U.S. Postal Inspectors and the U.S. Army, Criminal Investigative Command - Major Procurement Fraud Unit (CIDC-MPFU) with the assistance of the Union Pacific Railroad Police. He is expected to make his initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Beaumont tomorrow and is expected to be ordered transferred to Houston thereafter.

Indicted on July 27, 2011, Scott is accused of stealing postal money orders and sending them back to the Humble area for deposit into an account controlled by his then-fiancée and/or his personal bank account. An investigation into Scott’s activities was triggered in April 2010 upon receipt of information from an Humble area bank concerning the attempted deposit of several hundred postal money orders. Postal inspectors determined that all of the money orders originated from the Camp Buehring Post Office. According to the indictment, between December 2009 and June 2010, the scheme resulted in multiple deposits and/or attempted deposits totaling $565,000 in postal money orders, each valued at $1,000.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, CIDC-MPFU, Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the FBI. This case will be prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Tammie Y. Moore and Demetrius Bivins in Houston.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until convicted through due process of law.