MASSACHUSETTS — A former water company employee has been sentenced for his role in a CDL fraud scheme.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts sentenced Eric Mathison, a former water company employee, to 1 year and 1 day in prison, 3 years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment.
On March 21, Mathison pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit extortion. In January 2024, a grand jury indicted Mathison and 5 others in a 74-count indictment for conspiracy to falsify records, conspiracy to commit extortion, extortion, honest services mail fraud, falsification of records, false statements, and perjury.
Multi-Layered Scheme
Mathison worked for a water company that employed drivers who needed commercial driver licenses (CDLs) to drive their delivery vehicles. He conspired with former Massachusetts State Police Sergeant Gary Cederquist to give passing scores to multiple applicants from the water company who actually failed the CDL skills test, as well as others who took only a partial test, in exchange for free inventory.
Mathison is not the only one doing time for the conspiracy.
Former CDL Instructor also Convicted
The court also sentenced Scott Camara to 1 month of incarceration, 1 year of supervised release and a $200 special assessment. In April 2025, Camara pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to falsify records and one count of perjury. Camara was charged in January 2024 in a 74-count indictment along with 5 others in the alleged conspiracy and related schemes.
In October 2021, Camara conspired Cederquist to give passing scores to four Massachusetts State Troopers who had applied for Class A CDLs, but who did not actually take the required CDL skills test. Cederquist gave the test takers preferential treatment by falsely reporting that each trooper took and passed a Class A skills test.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
