Ex-Mass. State Police trooper pleads guilty to driver's license scheme
On Friday, Perry Mendes, 64, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to falsify records, three counts of falsifying records and two counts of making false statements, Foley's office said in a statement released Tuesday. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled Mendes' sentencing for July 15. Mendes was charged in a 74-count indictment in January 2024.
Between May 2019 and January 2023, Mendes and three other members of the Commercial Driver's License unit gave preferential treatment to at least 17 CDL applicants, Foley's office said. Mendes and others gave passing scores to those applicants who took the CDL test regardless of whether they actually passed.
The men used the code word 'golden' to identify the applicants, the statement read. Butner texted comments to another co-conspirator: 'Golden mess,' 'Total mess this guy[.] i think some time[s] we should just do what we can but not golden. I'll tell you about it later,' among other messages.
Mendes was among several retired or suspended state troopers previously indicted in connection with the scheme. Sgt. Gary Cederquist, 58, of Stoughton; retired Trooper Calvin Butner, 64, of Wareham; Trooper Joel Rogers, 54, of Bridgewater; civilian Scott Camara, 42, of Rehoboth; and Eric Mathison, 47, of Boston, were all named in the January 2024 indictment.
Cederquist gave passing scores to several applicants who actually failed the CDL skills test, and others who only took a partial test, federal prosecutors said. He did this in exchange for bribes of free inventory from the water company. The free items included bottled Fiji, bottled Arizona Iced Tea and coffee and tea products. Mathison delivered these items to an office trailer at the CDL test site in Stoughton.
Cederquist and Rogers were both suspended without pay.
Federal prosecutors said in one case, Mathison admitted to getting texts from Cederquist that described one CDL applicant as an 'an idiot,' who had 'no idea what he's doing,' and 'should have failed about 10 times already.' Cederquist gave this applicant a passing score.
On March 21, Mathison pleaded guilty, as did Butner on April 7.
The charge of conspiracy to commit extortion provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
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Chicago Tribune
6 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Video of Merrillville woman's arrest by Lake County Sheriff's Department shows excessive force before miscarriage, lawyer says
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Randolph previously told the Post-Tribune she had just stopped for milk at a 24-hour gas station in Gary near Ridge Road and Grant Street with her four kids in the vehicle. She was supposed to drop them off at her mother's house, then head to her early shift as a receptionist at the Gary Housing Authority. Officer Peter Hamady, who pulled her over, is named with the sheriff's department in the lawsuit. His lawyer Casey McCloskey declined comment. In a federal filing on Aug. 7, McCloskey formally denied the accusations against Hamady, saying in part that his actions were 'objectively reasonable' and protected by 'qualified immunity.' Some of Randolph's claims could fall outside of a two-year statute of limitations, he wrote. McCloskey argued because Randolph refused to get out of her SUV, she forced cops to go after her, according to court documents. She disputed this, in interviews with the Post-Tribune. On the way to booking, Randolph tells Hamady the truancy case in Merrillville Town Court was for taking her daughter repeatedly to school a little late when she was in pain from just having another baby, according to footage recorded inside Hamady's police car. He appears to soften. 'I didn't know they had warrants for that,' he said in the footage. In an interview, Matthew Custardo, Randolph's lawyer in the federal lawsuit, argued the use of force was unjustified, even if she was arguing with the cops. 'She was confused why she was being pulled over,' he said. 'She's scared. She has every reason to be a little concerned about what's going on. She's standing up for herself, certainly.' According to the nearly 40-minute bodycam video, police officers tell her to call someone to pick up the kids, so they don't have to call child protective services. Originally, Randolph said she thought it might have been a warrant for an old driving while suspended case. 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CBS News
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The Hill
2 days ago
- The Hill
New Orleans mayor indicted on federal corruption charges
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