The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts announced that six people, including current and former Massachusetts State Police officers, have been arrested and indicted on a 74-count indictment, including charges of bribery conspiracy.
Assistant Massachusetts District Attorney Joshua Levy told reporters Tuesday at a press conference in Boston federal court that four state troopers and two civilians submitted documents to guarantee a passing score on a commercial driver’s license. The indictment states that he is suspected of forging the (CDL) applicants.
Levy said four of the defendants were arrested Tuesday morning, including two state troopers. Gary Cederquist and Joel Rogers. The two civilians also arrested were Scott Kamara and Eric Mattison.
Two retired state troopers were arrested in Florida on Monday and have been identified as Calvin Butner and Perry Mendez, Levy said.
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Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy announced the 74-count indictment on Tuesday, January 3, 2024. (Pat Greenhouse/Boston Globe via Getty Images)
“The indictment alleges that these defendants gave passing scores to people who did not pass the test to obtain the CDL,” Levy said. “In exchange for passing unqualified applicants, one of the defendants allegedly received personal benefits of various nature, including a new driveway for $10,000 and a snow blower for $2,000, among other things. “Items contained goods valued at $1,000.” ”
He added, “The grand jury indictment against these six individuals includes racketeering, honest services mail fraud, conspiracy, false statements, and falsification of records.”
“The indicted civilians either provided the goods for free or conspired with the officers to pass the exams when they actually failed,” Levy said. “All of these defendants conspired to pass test takers who either failed the test, did not take the test, or took an abbreviated test.”
Assistant Massachusetts District Attorney Joshua Levy said the defendants’ actions showed “CDL was for sale” and circumvented federal regulations designed to protect residents on the roads. Stated. (Pat Greenhouse/Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Levy said the defendants’ actions showed that “the CDL was for sale” and that they were accepting bribes to get candidates to pass “regardless of their performance on the exam.”
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He noted that three of the officers allegedly began falsifying documents for “certain CDL applicants” in August 2018. A fourth state trooper was added to the criminal conspiracy charge in 2022.
Levy said the license is a federal requirement to ensure drivers of large vehicles on the road can do so safely. These tests and licenses help keep not only the driver of your vehicle safe, but everyone on the road with you.
Levy said the defendants’ actions violate federal requirements and endanger not only the drivers who received their CDLs without passing their exams, but also others on the road with them. It added that it was exposed to
Assistant Massachusetts District Attorney Joshua Levy said the defendants’ actions ignore federal requirements and put drivers on the road at unnecessary risk. (Lauren Owens Lambert/AFP via Getty Images)
“These standards and regulations exist for a very simple reason: to protect and prevent death and injury from operating commercial vehicles,” he continued.
Levy said the defendants “allegedly ignored the public safety implications by allowing people who failed the exam to obtain CDLs and drive commercial trucks.”
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The acting attorney said the indictment includes text messages between the officers joking about conduct and special privileges.
His office is working with the Massachusetts Department of Land Transportation to track down individuals known to have fraudulently obtained CDLs.
