A former Massachusetts State Police commander has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for orchestrating a bizarre and brazen bribery scheme that traded commercial driver’s licenses for everything from snowblowers and driveways to candy and bottled water — a scandal prosecutors called one of the “oddest and greediest” cases of public corruption in state history.
Gary Cederquist, 60, of Stoughton, who once led the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Unit, was convicted in May on 48 federal counts, including extortion, mail fraud, falsifying records, and honest services fraud. Prosecutors said the former trooper granted passing road test scores to unqualified drivers in exchange for personal favors and gifts, effectively putting dangerous drivers behind the wheel of massive trucks across Massachusetts.
A “Golden” Scheme of Odd Bribes and Betrayal
Federal prosecutors painted Cederquist as the “ringleader” of an enterprise that swapped public safety for petty greed. Over the years, he and several accomplices allegedly sold passing grades to applicants who should have failed, receiving a grab bag of items in return — including home repairs, a new driveway, a mailbox, snow-removal equipment, bottled water, and even Swedish Fish candy.
“This was not just corruption — it was absurdity cloaked in authority,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo. “Cederquist sold his badge and the public’s trust for the oddest and greediest array of material goods.”
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani handed down the six-year sentence Tuesday, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered $53,100 in restitution and fines, with additional forfeiture pending.
