A Boston man pleaded guilty last week to his role in a scheme to bribe officials into awarding Commercial Driver's Licenses (CDLs) to applicants who failed or did not properly complete the test.
Eric Mathison, 48, pleaded guilty to his part in the scheme in federal court on Monday. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Mathison worked at a water company that required drivers to have CDLs to drive delivery vehicles.
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Prosecutors alleged Mathison coordinated with others including former Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Gary Cederquist, who was in charge of the CDL unit, to secure passing scores to applicants associated with the water company. He then provided Cederquist with brides in the form of free inventory from the water company, including cases of bottled Fiji, VOSS and Essentia water, cases of Arizona Iced Tea and other coffee and tea products.
Mathison admitted to communicating with Cederquist about candidates, how they performed, and what products Cederquist allegedly requested from the water company. In one case, Mathison admitted that he received texts, allegedly from Cederquist, describing one water company applicant as “an idiot,” who had “no idea what he’s doing,” and “should have failed about 10 times already.” Cederquist gave the applicant a passing score on the test.
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Mathison pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit extortion. He is scheduled for sentencing on June 13. He faces up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
Six people, four of them current and former state police troopers, were arrested last year as part of the alleged bribery conspiracy, Mathison and Cederquist among them.
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 Cederquist's driveway, valued at $10,000, and a free snowblower.
The alleged conspirators texted each other about "the golden handshake" and "the golden treatment," according to the indictment.
Cederquist pleaded not guilty in Boston's federal court last year. He was dishonorably discharged from the Massachusetts State Police in January 2024. Other troopers - some retired and some who were current at the time - were also implicated in the scheme, dropping a curtain of scandal over the agency.
The state Registry of Motor Vehicles said it identified more than two dozen drivers who did not pass the proper testing last year. Their commercial driver's licenses were pulled and they are required to go through the full permit, training and skills testing again to have one reissued.
The RMV said they've found no evidence that any of the drivers were involved in a crash while driving a commercial vehicle.
