A Brockton driving school owner is facing a hefty sentence after pleading guilty to federal charges, accused of forking over more than $20,000 in bribes to a road test examiner. The scheme, which allowed certain individuals to bypass a proper road test — or skip it entirely — resulted in a raft of unqualified drivers being mailed licenses by the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV).
Carlos Cardoso, the 71-year-old business owner, entered his plea admitting to one count each of honest services mail fraud and conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud. After a federal grand jury indicted him in May of the previous year, his sentencing now looms on the horizon, scheduled for Sept. 11, 2025. An a statement obtained by the U.S. Department of Justice, officials highlighted the corruption disruption in the RMV service center in Brockton.
Corrupt dealings at the heart of driver safety and road law enforcement incur string penalties. Each charge against Cardoso carries a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, not to mention three years of supervised release and fines up to $250,000. The actual sentences, however, will be determined by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani, based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which factor into the judicial process.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley, alongside Special Agents Michael J. Krol of Homeland Security Investigations and Christopher A. Scharf of the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, announced the judicial proceeding. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Wichers and Adam Deitch, specialists in public corruption, are at the helm of the prosecution.
