Six people, four of them current and former Massachusetts State Police troopers, have been arrested as part of an alleged bribery conspiracy to give guaranteed passing scores to certain applicants for commercial driver's licenses, or CDLs, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for Massachusetts.
About two dozen drivers have been identified as receiving the licenses, according to U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy, who said his office has referred their names to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, which actually issues the licenses.
"The CDLs were for sale, and troopers were bribed with free goods to pass applicants no matter how they performed on the test," Levy said at a news conference Tuesday after his agency announced the arrests.
The 74-count indictment alleges a scheme that dates back five years in which drivers who didn't take the commercial driver's license test in part or in full or failed it were allowed to pass anyway in exchange for goods or services, including a complimentary re-paving of Sgt. Gary Cederquist's driveway, valued at $10,000, and a free snowblower.
Two current state troopers — one a sergeant — and two civilians were arrested Tuesday, while two retired troopers were arrested Monday in Florida, Levy said.
The alleged conspirators texted each other about "the golden handshake" and "the golden treatment," according to the indictment.
The interim superintendent of Massachusetts State Police, Col. John Mawn Jr., released a statement on the investigation: "The Massachusetts State Police demand and expect all members to conduct themselves with integrity, honesty, and in accordance with all federal and state laws and Department policies, rules, and regulations. The Department condemns the actions of the four current and former CDL Unit members as alleged in the federal indictment and our internal affairs investigation. The alleged misconduct of those defendants is the antithesis of and in stark contrast to the values, character, and integrity exhibited by the overwhelming majority of our Troopers every day in service to the public."
Cederquist, of Stoughton, and Trooper Joel Rogers, of Bridgewater, pleaded not guilty in Boston's federal court Tuesday, along with the civilians, Rehoboth resident Scott Camara, who worked for a Brockton truck driving school, and Boston resident Eric Mathison, a water company. The retired troopers who were arrested are Calvin Butner, of Halifax, and Perry Mendes, of Wareham. They were set to return to Boston for hearings at a later date, prosecutors said.
The president of the state police union, Brian Williams, shared disappointment at the indictment and said the organization is monitoring what happens in court: "I take these allegations seriously and urge everyone to wait until a thorough examination of the facts is public in order to ensure that the case is adjudicated in a fair and impartial manner."
A lawyer for Camara, Ed Ryan, said he was innocent. "I think he's been used."
State police said they became aware of the federal investigation into the department's Commercial Driver Licensing Unit at the end of 2022, according to the agency. They did an audit that found the need for improvements in several areas and, as of early 2023, required troopers to wear body cameras for all CDL exams, modernized record-keeping, created a new supervisory role and more.
NBC10 Boston obtained employment information on the two current and former state troopers:
- Cederquist, who was the head of the CDL Unit, was suspended with pay on March 7, weeks after being transferred out of the CDL unit. He was due for a hearing Wednesday on his duty status.
- Rogers remained on active duty as of Tuesday, though he also had a duty-status hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
- Butner retired March 22, 2023, and was collecting a $71,457/year pension.
- Mendes retired April 12, 2022, and was collecting a $84,927/year pension.
If Butner and Mendes are convicted, the state retirement board can move to forfeit their pensions, since the alleged crimes are directly related to their jobs.
The arrests are yet another black eye on the agency, which has been embroiled in a series of scandals in recent years.
An overtime scandal several years ago ultimately led to the disbandment of Troop E, with nearly 50 state police troopers implicated in the investigation.
NBC10 Boston's Ryan Kath and Kathy Curran contributed to this report.
