Disgraced ex-Mass State Police Sgt. Gary Cederquist who was convicted within the driver’s license bribery scheme has been sentenced to a number of years in federal jail.
Cederquist — the “ringleader” of the scheme — was sentenced Tuesday to 6 years in jail, adopted by two years of supervised launch. The 60-year-old South Shore man was additionally ordered to pay a $30,000 effective and $18,300 in restitution.
Cederquist again on Could 2 was discovered responsible of 48 counts in reference to the Industrial Driver’s License bribery scandal. He confronted dozens of prices for falsifying data and giving passing scores to CDL candidates, together with individuals who failed or didn’t take the CDL expertise take a look at, in trade for bribes.
“For virtually his entire tenure in MSP’s CDL Unit, Gary Cederquist was the ringleader, organizer, and principal perpetrator of a criminal enterprise,” the feds wrote of their sentencing memo. “He took bribes. He extorted members of the general public. And he falsified data. Over and over, for years.
“Cederquist’s conduct jeopardized the safety of everyone on the roads and highways of Massachusetts (and beyond) every time he took a bribe in exchange for a free CDL, falsified a score sheet, input fake scores into the RMV’s computer system, or forged a sponsor’s signature on an application,” the feds added.
The U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace was in search of a sentence of 9 years in jail, whereas the federal choose went with six years.
Cederquist was ordered to report back to the Bureau of Prisons on Nov. 25.
His legal professional earlier than sentencing had advised the courtroom that Cederquist acknowledged that what he did was a “serious betrayal of public trust” and an “endangerment to public safety.”
As a sergeant, his base pay was near $150,000. As an example in 2022, his base pay was $149,314 and his extra time pay was $79,904.
His annual pension quantity this yr has been $106,584. In the meantime, he’s employed as a regional gross sales rep for Frito-Lay, in keeping with his legal professional.
“The defendant acknowledges that a jail sentence is appropriate but is requesting that the Court consider a downward variance based upon the conduct which is a serious blemish on an otherwise respectable law enforcement career,” his legal professional wrote.
Cederquist was answerable for MSP’s CDL Unit, which is answerable for administering CDL expertise checks. The CDL expertise take a look at is a demanding, in-person take a look at that consists of three segments: Automobile Inspection; Primary Management Abilities; and the Highway Check.
Between February 2019 and January 2023, Cederquist organized for him and his co-conspirators to offer passing scores to not less than three dozen candidates no matter whether or not or not that they had really handed or, in some instances, had even taken the CDL expertise take a look at — together with in some cases in trade for bribes.
Cederquist and his co-conspirators used the code phrase “golden handshake” or “golden” to establish candidates who acquired particular remedy, and had been to be given passing scores on their expertise checks no matter efficiency.
In textual content message conversations, Cederquist and his co-conspirators described various “golden” candidates as performing poorly on their expertise checks. Nonetheless, the entire candidates acquired passing scores.
Cederquist additionally conspired together with his buddy who labored for a water firm that employed drivers who wanted CDLs, to offer passing scores to sure candidates affiliated with the water firm.
In trade for the passing scores, Cederquist accepted bribes of free stock from the water firm, reminiscent of instances of bottled Fiji, VOSS and Essentia water, instances of bottled Arizona Iced Tea, espresso and tea merchandise, and packing containers of Twizzlers and Swedish Fish.
Cederquist accepted quite a lot of bribes together with stock from the water firm valued within the hundreds of {dollars}; a $750 granite put up and mailbox; a brand new driveway valued at over $10,000; and a snowblower valued at practically $2,000. Cederquist described one such applicant as “horrible,” and “brain dead,” however gave him a passing rating anyway in trade for the snowblower.
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