A former Massachusetts State Police trooper has been sentenced in federal court for his involvement in a scheme to falsify commercial driver’s license (CDL) test results. Calvin Butner, 64, of Halifax, received a three-month prison sentence followed by one year of supervised release, with the first three months under home confinement. The government had recommended a longer sentence of 15 months.
Butner pleaded guilty in April 2025 to charges including conspiracy to falsify records, multiple counts of falsifying records and aiding and abetting, as well as making false statements. He was indicted in January 2024 along with five others on related charges.
The case centers on the Massachusetts State Police CDL Unit, which is responsible for administering CDL skills tests required by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. These tests include vehicle inspection, basic control skills, and a road test. Only those who pass all parts are eligible for a CDL.
Between May 2019 and January 2023, Butner and other members of the unit conspired to give passing scores to at least 17 applicants regardless of their actual performance. The group used the code word “golden” to identify favored applicants. In some cases, Butner gave passing scores even when individuals failed or did not take the test at all.
Text messages between Butner and co-conspirators were cited as evidence in court:
“This guys a mess. . . . Lol. He owes u a prime rib 6inch.”
“Golden mess.”
“He’s a mess Class A truck 2psi loss with truck running truck cut our again while timing ”
“Total mess this guy[.] i think some time[s] we should just do what we can but not golden. I’ll tell you about it later.”
Authorities have reported all unqualified CDL recipients identified during the investigation to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley stated: “All CDL recipients identified as not qualified during the course of this investigation have been reported to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles.” Michael J. Krol from Homeland Security Investigations and Christopher A. Scharf from the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General also announced details of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine J. Wichers and Adam W. Deitch are handling prosecution for this matter.
