Former state police officer from Wareham sentenced in federal bribery scheme

BOSTON – Former Massachusetts State Police trooper Perry Mendes of Wareham has been sentenced for his role in a conspiracy to falsify records by giving passing scores to certain Commercial Driver’s License applicants.

They included individuals who had failed or did not take the CDL skills test as required by federal law.

The Justice Department says 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 charged with a group of five others in the alleged conspiracy and related schemes that took place between 2019 and 2022.

From the DOJ:

Members of MSP’s CDL Unit were responsible for administering CDL skills tests. Test requirements for CDLs are established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The CDL skills test is a demanding, in-person test that consists of three segments: Vehicle Inspection, in which an applicant is tested on their knowledge of the vehicle; Basic Control Skills, in which an applicant is tested on their ability to perform certain maneuvers; and the Road Test, in which an applicant is tested on their ability to drive a commercial vehicle on an open roadway. Only drivers who have passed the test and thereby proved they are capable and qualified to drive a commercial vehicle may be issued a CDL, with the primary goal of public safety.

Mendes conspired with others to give automatic passing scores to at least 17 CDL applicants on their skills tests regardless of whether they actually passed, using the code word “golden handshake” or “golden,” for short, to identify applicants who would receive special treatment.

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.

Mendes was sentenced to one month in prison, followed by one year of supervised release with the first two months on home confinement. The DOJ said he is the first to be sentenced in the the Massachusetts State Police Commercial Driver’s License bribery scheme.