Sergeant Gary Cederquist, of Stoughton, and Trooper Joel Rogers, of Bridgwater, were the two active-duty troopers placed on unpaid leave. They are among six people charged on three counts of conspiracy to falsify records, three counts of conspiracy to commit extortion, three counts of extortion, six counts of honest services mail fraud, 31 counts of falsification of records, 27 counts of false statements, and one count of perjury, federal authorities said.
The others arrested include:
- Calvin Butner, 63, of Halifax
- Perry Mendes, 63, of Wareham
- Scott Camara, 42, of Rehoboth
- Eric Mathison, 47, of Boston
Butner and Mendess previously retired from the force.
Federal prosecutors said that between May 2019 and January 2023, Cederquist, Butner, Mendes, Rogers, and others gave preferential treatment to at least 17 CDL applicants by giving passing scores on their skills tests despite failing. They would use the code word “golden” for each applicant.
Texts were sent between Cederquist and Butner about some of the applicants, including: