An active Massachusetts State Police sergeant and an active trooper as well as two retired troopers and two civilians were arrested as part of a 74-count indictment alleging that they traded favors in exchange for unearned commercial drivers licenses.
“As alleged in this indictment, the CDLs were for sale and troopers were bribed with free goods to pass applicants no matter how they performed on the test,” Acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua Levy said at a press conference Tuesday announcing that morning’s indictment.
“You need to pass these tests in order to operate large vehicles on highways and in our neighborhoods, things like tractor trailers, oil tankers, and school buses,” he continued. “These standards and regulations exist for one very simple reason to protect and prevent death and injuries from the operation of commercial motor vehicles.”
The alleged conspiracy, which Levy said began in 2017, went down at the MSP’s Commercial Driver’s Licensing unit. Active members charged included Sgt. Gary Cederquist, 58, of Stoughton, and Trooper Joel Rogers, 54, of Bridgewater. In addition, retired MSP Troopers Calvin Butner, 63, of Halifax, and Perry Mendes, 63, of Wareham, were each arrested Monday in Florida.
Cederquist and Rogers as well as civilians Scott Camara, 42, of Rehoboth, and Eric Mathison, 47, of Boston, who are both described as friends of Cederquist’s, were arrested Tuesday morning and made brief appearances in federal court before being released.
In a statement, Colonel John Mawn Jr., Interim Superintendent of the state police, said, “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.”
He continued, “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 is accused of handing over CDLs for gifts like a new driveway valued at $10,000 and a $2,000 snowblower.
Each defendant is charged with various counts of extortion, honest services, mail fraud, conspiracy, false statements, and falsification of records.
Two other alleged conspirators were named as “Friend Conspirator” and “Trooper Administrator” in the lengthy indictment but were not charged and arrested. Levy said that he couldn’t go into specifics about who these people are but said only that the investigation is ongoing.
While the requirements of a CDL are regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration under the U.S. Department of Transportation, the skills tests to see if a driver meets the requirements are administered by the state. In Massachusetts, that role is performed by the State Police.
Levy said that the investigation so far has uncovered roughly two dozen drivers who bribed their way into a CDL and do not safely meet the requirements of operating such large vehicles on America’s roadways.
According to state police officials, the department became aware of the federal investigation into the CDL unit toward the end of 2022 and launched its own inquiry and cooperated with federal investigators.
As a result of that investigation, Cederquist, along with several other troopers were reassigned in February 2023. Cederquist was eventually suspended, and remains so today, according to state police.
Also in 2023, and in response to the investigation, the state police issued a host of reforms to the CDL unit, bringing in new staff and oversight, modernizing testing procedures and record keeping requirements.
In addition, surprise visits by supervisors were increased and all CDL road testing is now conducted and recorded with body-worn cameras, according to the state police.
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