Former Massachusetts trooper sentenced to one month in prison in beverages for CDLs bribery scheme

A former Massachusetts State Police (MSP) trooper was sentenced to prison for his role in a scheme to provide passing scores to multiple Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) applicants who failed or did not take the skills test.

On August 7, 2025, former trooper Perry Mendes, 64, was sentenced to one month in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release with the first two months on home confinement, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

The government recommended a sentence of one year in prison and a fine of $5,500.

Mendes pleaded guilty in July 2025 to one count of conspiracy to falsify records, three counts of falsifying records and two counts of making false statements.

Officials say that between January 2019 and April 2022, Mendes conspired with others to provide passing scores for at least 17 CDL applicants regardless of whether they passed or even took the skills test.

The conspirators used the terms “golden handshake” or “golden” to identify applicants who would receive the preferential treatment and passing scores.

“In July 2025, Mendes admitted to his role in the alleged conspiracy, including that he cut skills tests short for “golden” applicants; that he entered false information on CDL score sheets indicating that certain applicants had passed the skills test when they had not; and that he reported passing scores for one applicant he knew had never taken the skills test,” officials said.

As part of a 74-count indictment that included charges against Mendes, authorities also charged four other former MSP troopers with participating in the falsified CDL skills test score scheme. The other former troopers are still awaiting sentencing.

Also charged was beverage company employee Eric Mathison, 48. Mathison was accused of conspiring to obtain CDLs on behalf of his employees so that they could drive delivery vehicles. In exchange, officials said that Mathison provided the troopers with “cases of bottled Fiji, VOSS and Essentia water, cases of bottled Arizona Iced Tea and coffee and tea products, all of which Mathison delivered to an office trailer at the CDL test site in Stoughton.”

In March 2025, Mathison pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit extortion.