Mass. state troopers charged in bribery scheme, accused of taking snow blower and driveway for driver's licenses
Four current and former Massachusetts State Police troopers were among six people arrested in connection with a bribery conspiracy scheme to guarantee passing scores for commercial driver's licenses.
Four current and former Massachusetts State Police troopers were among six people arrested in connection with allegations of a bribery conspiracy to guarantee passing scores on tests for commercial driver's licenses, the U.S. attorney's office for Massachusetts announced Tuesday.
Sgt. Gary Cederquist, Trooper Joel Rogers and retired Troopers Calvin Butner and Perry Mendes are charged in a 74-count indictment. All four troopers were members of the state police commercial driver's license unit, responsible for administering the skills tests for Commercial Drivers Licenses, or CDLs.
The two civilians in the case were identified as Scott Camara and Eric Mathison, a truck driving school employee and a water company employee, respectively.
From around May 2019 to January 2023, the troopers and others involved conspired to give special treatment "to at least 17 CDL applicants by agreeing to give passing scores on their skills tests whether or not they actually passed, using the code word 'golden' to identify these applicants," the charging document alleges.
Cederquist is alleged to have accepted personal bribes, including a $750 granite post and mailbox, a new driveway valued at $10,000 and a $2,000 snow blower, in return for passing unqualified applicants.
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