A second Massachusetts State Police trooper, who was among six people accused of taking bribes in exchange for giving passing scores on commercial driving tests, has been dishonorably discharged, a department representative said Tuesday.
Trooper Joel Rogers was discharged when he retired from the department Tuesday, police said. He'd been suspended without pay on Jan. 31, a day after he and the five others were charged in what federal prosecutors described as a bribery scheme for commercial drivers license applicants.
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Last week, Sgt. Gary Cederquist was also issued a dishonorable discharge after deciding to retire from the department.
Two other retired state troopers and two civilians were also charged in the alleged scheme, which prosecutors said involved falsifying records to give preferential treatment to at least 17 drivers taking their commercial drivers license, or CDL, test over almost four years.
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One of the retired state troopers was due in federal court to be arraigned Wednesday.
Even when the drivers failed a skills test, the allegedly troopers passed them and communicated they had done so with a text, referring to the preferred treatment as being "golden."
Amid the federal investigation, state police have been investigating what role their members played in the alleged scheme.
Any decisions about pension eligibility for the former state troopers will be made by the State Retirement Board, the department noted.
Last week, the Registry of Motor Vehicles said it downgraded the licenses of more than two dozen drivers who were found not to have passed the test.
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