Ex-Trooper Admitted to Falsifying Test Scores for Dozens of CDL Applicants
A former Massachusetts State Police (MSP) trooper has become the first defendant sentenced in a federal case involving a conspiracy to falsify Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) test results.
Perry Mendes, 64, of Wareham, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Boston to one month in prison, followed by one year of supervised release, with the first two months on home confinement. The government had recommended a one-year prison sentence and a $5,500 fine.
In July 2025, Mendes pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to falsify records, three counts of falsifying records, and two counts of making false statements. He was among six people charged in January 2024 in a 74-count indictment alleging a multi-year CDL testing fraud.
According to federal prosecutors, between January 2019 and April 2022 Mendes conspired with others in MSP’s CDL Unit to give automatic passing scores to at least 17 applicants—some of whom had failed or never taken the required skills test. Applicants who would receive special treatment were identified with the code words “golden handshake” or “golden.”
The CDL skills test, mandated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, includes three segments: Vehicle Inspection, Basic Control Skills, and a Road Test. The test is designed to ensure only qualified drivers receive a CDL, with public safety as the primary goal.
Prosecutors said Mendes admitted to cutting tests short for “golden” applicants, falsifying score sheets to indicate passing results, and reporting a passing score for an applicant he knew had not taken the test.
The sentencing was announced by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Brian C. Gallagher, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine J. Wichers and Adam W. Deitch of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit.
