A Boston man pleaded guilty in connection with a wide-ranging scheme to exchange bribes for passing scores for Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) applicants.
On March 21, 2025, Eric Mathison, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit extortion, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Mathison was one of six people arrested in January 2024 in connection with a years-long scheme to allegedly dole out unearned CDLs in exchange for bribes. Also among the six arrested after a 74 count indictment was filed were four former Massachusetts State Police (MSP) troopers.
In pleading guilty, Mathison admitted to conspiring with the former MSP troopers to give passing scores to CDL applicants who either failed their tests or had taken only partial CDL skills tests.
Mathison worked for a water company that required CDL drivers to operate delivery vehicles. Officials say that Mathison conspired with MSP Sergeant Gary Cederquist, then in charge of MSP’s CDL Unit, to obtain CDLs for certain applicants associated with the water company “in exchange for bribes of free inventory from the water company, such as 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.”
From the U.S. Attorney’s Office:
“Mathison admitted to his alleged communications with Cederquist about particular CDL applicants, their performance on the skills test, and inventory from the water company that Cederquist allegedly requested and that Mathison delivered. For example, 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.” It is alleged that Cederquist then gave this applicant a passing score. On another occasion, Mathison admitted that he asked Cederquist, “Hows the trailer holding,” to which Cederquist allegedly responded, “In desperate need of restocking,” along with a specific request for, among other things, premium bottled water, tea, energy drinks and a ‘truckload of large water.‘”
Mathison is scheduled for sentencing on June 13, 2025.
If convicted, Mathison faces up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
