Local News

Another Brockton driving school owner charged in RMV bribe scheme

Carolos Cardoso, 70, allegedly paid up to $30,000 in cash bribes to a road test examiner to pass applicants who failed or never took road tests at a Brockton RMV.

May 18, 2024

1 minute to read

A Brockton driving school owner was arrested Friday for allegedly bribing a road test examiner to issue driver’s licenses to people who didn’t pass — and in some cases never even took — road tests at the Registry of Motor Vehicles in Brockton.

Carlos Cardoso, 70, is accused of paying between $20,000 and $30,000 in cash bribes to get an examiner at the Brockton RMV service center to pass certain applicants, according to Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy.

As a result of the alleged scheme, officials said the RMV mailed driver’s licenses to multiple unqualified applicants. It’s not clear when Cardoso allegedly carried out the briberies.

Cardoso appeared in Boston federal court Friday after a grand jury indicted him on five counts of honest services mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud, according to Levy’s office.

If convicted, Cardoso faces up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.

Earlier this year, a driving school owner pleaded guilty to bribing a road test examiner at the Brockton RMV. A former manager at the same RMV also pleaded guilty to accepting bribes in exchange for handing out passing scores on passenger and commercial driver’s licenses. It’s not clear if those cases are connected to Cardoso’s.