Bribes of Twizzlers, Swedish Fish candy and Fiji water are leading to prison time for a former Massachusetts Police sergeant.
Those are some of the products accepted in a CDL fraud scheme.
According to multiple reports, Gary Cederquist was sentenced to six years in prison for his role in a scheme where he provided CDLs to applicants in exchange for bribes. In addition to the prison sentence, he was given two years of supervised release and ordered to pay more than $50,000 in fines and restitution.
Cederquist was charged in a 74-count indictment along with five others. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts alleged that Cederquist gave passing scores to multiple applicants from a water company who actually failed the CDL skills test, as well as others who only took a partial test.
In exchange, Cederquist received free water, energy drinks, coffee and tea products, as well as Twizzlers and Swedish Fish candy.
Cederquist was convicted by a jury in May.
Eric Mathison, who worked for the water company, was sentenced to one year in prison and three years of supervised release in September.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mathison admitted to his communications with Cederquist about particular CDL applicants and their performance on the skills test as well as inventory from the water company that Cederquist requested and that Mathison delivered.
For example, Mathison received texts from Cederquist describing one water company applicant as “an idiot” who had “no idea what he’s doing” and who “should have failed about 10 times already.” Cederquist then gave this applicant a passing score.
On another occasion, Mathison asked Cederquist, “How’s the trailer holding?” Cederquist responded, “In desperate need of restocking,” along with a specific request for, among other things, premium bottled water, tea, energy drinks and a “truckload of large water.”
Calvin Butner, another former Massachusetts State Police trooper, was sentenced for his role in the scheme in August. Butner was sentenced to three months in prison followed by one year of supervised release.
Others named in the indictment include Perry Mendes, Joel Rogers and Scott Camara.
All CDL recipients identified as not qualified in the course of this investigation were reported to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles. LL
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