Worley Man Admits to Mail Theft

COEUR D’ALENE – Delbert William Lee, Jr., 44, of Worley, Idaho, pleaded guilty today to theft of mail matter, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.  Lee was indicted by a federal grand jury in Coeur d'Alene on April 19, 2016.

At the plea hearing, Lee admitted to stealing mail from a post office box located in Worley, Idaho.  The victim shared a post office box with Lee’s co-conspirator, Twilla Marie St. Pierre, 39, of Worley, Idaho.  The mail stolen by Lee and St. Pierre contained checks belonging to the victim. 

The charge of theft of mail matter is punishable by up to five years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.

Sentencing is set for March 8, 2017, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Coeur d'Alene.  St. Pierre pleaded guilty to theft or receipt of stolen mail matter on October 18, 2016, and she scheduled to be sentenced on January 18, 2017.

The case was investigated by Coeur d’Alene Tribal Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Today's announcement is part of efforts underway by President Obama's Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF), which was created in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes.  With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. attorneys’ offices and state and local partners, it’s the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud.  Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations.  Over the past three fiscal years, the Justice Department has filed more than 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 15,000 defendants including more than 2,700 mortgage fraud defendants.