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Massachusetts State Police troopers among 6 arrested, charged with bribery in 74-count indictment

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Massachusetts State Police troopers among 6 arrested, charged with bribery in 74-count indictment

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The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts has announced that six people, including current and former Massachusetts State Police troopers, have been arrested and charged in a 74-count indictment that includes alleged bribery conspiracy.

Acting United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Joshua Levy told reporters at a press conference at the Boston Federal Courthouse on Tuesday that the indictment revealed that four state troopers and two civilians are alleged to have falsified documents to give guaranteed passing scores for commercial driver’s license (CDL) applicants. 

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Levy said four of the defendants were arrested Tuesday morning, including two state troopers, Sgt. Gary Cederquist and Joel Rogers. The two civilians who were also arrested were Scott Camara and Eric Mathison. 

Two retired state troopers were arrested in Florida on Monday, Levy said, identifying them as Calvin Butner and Perry Mendes.

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Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy announced the 74-count indictment on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2024. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

“The indictment alleged these defendants gave passing scores to people who did not pass the test to obtain a CDL,” Levy said. “In return for passing unqualified applicants, one of the defendants is alleged to have received personal benefits of a variety in nature. These included items that were several thousands of dollars in value, like a new $10,000 driveway, a $2,000 snowblower and ‘other such items.’”

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He added, “The grand jury indictment against these six men includes extortion, honest services mail fraud, conspiracy, false statements and falsification of records.”

“The civilians who were charged either provided free goods or conspired with the troopers to pass applicants who did not actually pass the test,” Levy said. “These defendants all conspired to pass applicants who either failed the test, did not take the test, or took an abbreviated test.”

Acting United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Joshua Levy said the alleged actions of the defendants showed the “CDLs were for sale” and skirted federal regulations that are in place to help safeguard residents on the roadways. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Levy said the alleged actions of the defendants showed the “CDLs were for sale” and that they were bribed to pass applicants “no matter how they performed on the tests.”

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He noted that three of the officers allegedly began falsifying documents in August 2018 for “certain CDL applicants.” A fourth state trooper joined in the alleged criminal conspiracy in 2022. 

Levy specified the licenses are federal requirements to ensure drivers on the road operating large vehicles are doing so safely. These tests and licenses help keep the driver of the vehicle safe as well as all those on the roads with them. 

Levy added the alleged actions of these defendants skirt the federal requirements and put the drivers who received the CDLs without passing the test in danger, as well as anyone else on the roads with them.

Acting United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Joshua Levy said the alleged actions of these defendants skirt the federal requirements and put the drivers on the road at unnecessary risk. (LAUREN OWENS LAMBERT/AFP via Getty Images)

“These standards and regulations exist for one very simple reason: to protect and prevent death and injuries from the operations of commercial vehicles,” he continued.

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Levy said the defendants “allegedly displayed no regard for the public safety consequences by allowing people who didn’t pass the test to have a CDL and operate commercial trucks.”

The acting attorney said the indictment includes text messages between the officers joking about the conduct and the extra privileges. 

His office is working with the Massachusetts Department of Motor Vehicles to track down those individuals who are known to have obtained a CDL improperly.

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Boston, MA

Free June events: Pride Month, Father’s Day, and more – The Boston Globe

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Free June events: Pride Month, Father’s Day, and more – The Boston Globe


BEACH BASH Head to Revere for its fifth annual Beach Pride Celebration. The outdoor seaside party — in case of rain, revelers will relocate to the Marriott’s Springhill Suites — will feature face-painting, a photo booth, and live DJ and drag performances. Bring your (most sand-friendly) dancing shoes. June 28, 1-6 p.m. Free. Waterfront Square, 500 Ocean Ave, Revere. revere.org

Revere Beach celebrates Pride month.Handout

DANCING QUEENS Somerville returns for their annual “Big Gay Dance Party,” featuring drag performances, music from DJ Live, and LGBTQ organizations tabling. This year’s event is themed “Gender Euphoria,” and the organizers encourage guests to dress up whatever makes the feel the most like themselves. June 27, 4:30-8:30 p.m. Free. Union Square Plaza, 90 Union Sq., Somerville. somervilleartscouncil.org/events

PRIDE RIDE Bike lovers, put on your helmets for a community ride celebrating Pride. The Cycle Loft shop hosts a cruise down Vine Brook and Minuteman Bikeway. They will also offer free snacks, drinks, stickers, and temporary tattoos. June 7, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Free. Cycle Loft, 43 Middlesex Turnpike, Burlington. trekbikes.com/cycle-loft

ZOO-TIFUL Spend a family day among giraffes, red pandas, flamingos and more. In celebration of Father’s Day, dads will get in for free to the Stone Zoo and Franklin Park Zoo. Tickets are required for all other attendees and can be purchased online or in person. June 21, 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. Free for fathers. Franklin Park Zoo, 1 Franklin Park Rd. and Stone Zoo, 149 Pond St., Stoneham. zoonewengland.org

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A baby Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra nuzzles with his mother at the Franklin Park Zoo.John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

DRAWINGS FOR DAD Need a no-cost (but from the heart) present for pops? Head to the Hyde Park Branch of the Boston Public Library for their Father’s Day Crafts event. The library will provide all materials to make cards and other paper crafts. June 20, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Hyde Park Branch of the Boston Public Library, 35 Harvard Ave., Hyde Park. bpl.bibliocommons.com/events

SYMPHONIC SUNDAY Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) hosts a free Father’s Day Concert at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall. Conducted by BMOP artistic director Gil Rose, the ensemble will play works composed by modern American composers, including “Miami Variations” from Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Moravec, “History of the World” by John Aylward, and Avner Dorman’s concerto “Inner Fire,” featuring cellist Kristina Reiko Cooper. June 21, 7-9 p.m. Free. Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory of Music, 30 Gainsborough St. bmop.org

Boston Modern Orchestra holds a Father’s Day performance at Jordan Hall.Handout

FOOD FEST For the foodie fathers, head over to the Rose Kennedy Greenway for an Asian Food Festival. Attendees can purchase street food, bubble tea, desserts, grilled items, and a variety of other items from different Asian cultures. The event will also feature free entertainment, including Taekwondo demonstrations, cultural dance performances, and a guest Japanese singer. For brewery lovers, the event will also feature a beer garden from Thai company Singha Beer featuring games and merchandise giveaways. June 20, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. and June 21, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. Rose Kennedy Greenway. rosekennedygreenway.org

FAMILY FUN Enjoy the warmer weather at MIT Open Space’s summer party. The outdoor event will feature free soft serve ice cream, herb planting with a horticulturist, a drop-in sketching activity with Blue Mouse Gallery art school, and a performance from the Continuum Dance Project. June 24, 12-2 p.m. Free. Kendall/MIT Open Space, 292 Main St., Cambridge. openspace.mit.edu

MIT Open Space hosts a summer party.Noah Phoenix

BANDS AND BREWS Bask in the sunshine with live music, cornhole, and Giant Jenga at Sam Summer Saturdays. Each week, a musician will take the stage at the Samuel Adams Boston Brewery beer garden. Artists scheduled to perform this month include Pittsfield singer-songwriter Autumn Phoenix (June 6 and 27) and R&B and soul artist Tenille Ja’Nae (June 13 and 20). For seasonal eat and drink, attendees can purchase burgers, hot dogs, and Samuel Adams summer ale. Multiple dates, 1-4 p.m. Free. Samuel Adams Boston Brewery, 30 Germania St. samadamsbostonbrewery.com

Sam Adams Boston Brewery hosts free live music this summer.gene buonaccorsi

ANCHORS AWAY For the aspiring sea captains in your life, Charlestown Marina and Boston Harbor Shipyard and Marina invite families to board a ship, make nautical bracelets, and meet representatives from local sailing schools and clubs during their Massachusetts Kids Boating and Fishing Week celebrations. Attendees at Charlestown Marina can also enjoy hot dogs, hamburgers, and chips. Charlestown Marina: June 6, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Pier 6, 1 8th St. Boston Harbor Shipyard and Marina: June 7, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. 256 Marginal St. Free. masskidsboatingday.org

Charlestown Marina and Boston Harbor Shipyard and Marina host a family boating event.Handout

SUMMER SOLSTICE Mount Auburn Cemetery celebrates the longest day of the year with meditations, live music, and more. Throughout the day, the cemetery will host both free and ticketed activities. No-cost events include an outdoor meditation in the facility’s Hazel Dell (registration required) and a bat net demonstration from Tufts University biology instructor Dr. Chris Richardson. The celebration ends with a pay-what-you-can performance of Celtic and Middle Eastern inspired music from guitarist Ira Klein, the cemetery’s artist in residence, and fiddle player Cate Byrne. June 21, 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Free. Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St, Cambridge. mountauburn.org

Mount Auburn Cemetery hosts a summer solstice celebration.Billy Hickey

GREENWAY GAINS The Rose Kennedy Greenway becomes a free fitness hub this season. From parkour to children’s yoga, the park offers something for everyone. Additional classes include mat pilates, Zumba, yoga, barre, and HIIT workouts. Multiple dates and locations. Free. rosekennedygreenway.org

The Rose Kennedy Greenway hosts a variety of free fitness classes.Nicole Marie Photography

WATERSIDE WORKOUTS Put on your gym clothes and head to South Boston for a waterfront fitness workout. Sessions include dance workouts, yoga (bring your own mat), and revamp training, a method that combines resistance band exercises, cardio dance, and bodyweight workouts. Multiple dates, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Free. 9 World Trade Center Ave. massport.com/community/events

PARK SERIES During the summer, Boston Parks hosts daily outdoor fitness classes in locations like the Frog Pond, Hynes Playground, and Christopher Columbus Park. Workouts include yoga, Zumba, dance fitness, strength training, and tai chi. Multiple dates and locations. Free, registration recommended. boston.gov/events

Boston Parks hosts chair yoga during their summer fitness series.Boston Parks and Recreation Department

SUFFOLK DOWNS SWEAT The Blue Line Flex series returns to Suffolk Downs. From June to September, the Yard at Beachmont Square will host a variety of fitness classes every Tuesday and Thursday from local fitness studios and instructors. Offerings include pilates, yoga, boxing, cardio dance, and high intensity interval training. Saturday sessions will also feature music from a DJ. Multiple dates, Tuesdays, 6 p.m. and Saturdays, 10 a.m. Free, registration required. The Yard at Beachmont Square, 10 Suffolk Downs Blvd., Revere. atsuffolkdowns.com


Annie Sarlin can be reached at annie.sarlin@globe.com. Follow her on Instagram @anniesarlinjournalism.





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Pittsburg, PA

Kozora: In 2027, Pittsburgh’s Wallet Will Open Wide For Its Offensive Line

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Kozora: In 2027, Pittsburgh’s Wallet Will Open Wide For Its Offensive Line


Like the offseasons that have preceded it, 2027 will be about the quarterback. Do the Pittsburgh Steelers bank on Will Howard or Drew Allar as the future? Is the answer in the 2027 draft? Is there another door to open? Until there’s a long-term solution, it will always dominate the conversation.

Putting aside the obvious, the other top storyline centers on the men asked to protect the quarterback. Pittsburgh’s 2027 offseason will be defined by paying its offensive line, a good but expensive problem to have.

Even knowing Broderick Jones isn’t likely to receive a new deal, Omar Khan will have discussions with virtually everyone else. The 2023 draft class all could be in line for summer extensions: OT Troy Fautanu, C Zach Frazier and OG Mason McCormick. None will hit free agency until 2028, and Fautanu has the fifth-year option, but all three will be first-time eligible for a deal, and deserving of one. The longer teams wait, the more they pay.

McCormick might be the cheapest, but even that is a relative term. The guard market’s heated up the past two offseason cycles. His going rate could be $20 million per season.

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Robert Hunt signed a five-year, $100 million deal with the Carolina Panthers in 2024. This past offseason, Will Fries inked a five-year, $87.72 million, that’s $17.5 mil per year, with the Minnesota Vikings.

Given the salary cap’s projected increase, McCormick could be looking at a similar figure. Perhaps a slightly shorter deal, a four-year extension with his final rookie year rolled into the agreement, but a big money pact all the same.

Although McCormick hasn’t received the fanfare of Frazier or Fautanu, he broke out in 2025. His run and pass blocking improved. He was durable and didn’t miss a single snap.

Frazier’s market has spiked. Thank Tyler Linderbaum for that. He didn’t just reset but shattered the center market this offseason, leaving the Baltimore Ravens for the Las Vegas Raiders on a three-year, $81 million deal. His $27 million APY blows away second place Creed Humphrey and his $18 million mark. Now, every center next to get paid will want to get near that figure.

Unless Frazier truly has an All-Pro seasons, he probably won’t surpass him. Something in the 20-million range, say $22 million per year, is realistic. Frazier’s been steady and solid in the middle, and Pittsburgh won’t want to start its pivot search again.

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Then there’s Fautanu. Flipping and likely staying at left tackle, he’s playing a premium position. Even if the thinking is antiquated, blindside protectors still get paid more than their right side counterparts. The Colts’ Bernard Raimann signed a four-year, $100 million contract in July, 2025. In January, Charles Cross went for an average of $26.1 million.

Fautanu will be looking for the same if not more. He’ll definitely want more than whatever Frazier commands at center. Fautanu could push for upwards of $30 million per year if his season is good enough.

There is a caveat. Fautanu’s fifth-year option is due next May, and it’s likely to get be exercised. If so, he’ll be the first by a homegrown Steeler since T.J. Watt. But that also could extend out the timeline of an extension by one season. Minkah Fitzpatrick and Watt had to wait one year from their option due dates to receive their extension. If Fautanu follows the same, his contract won’t come until 2028.

It would be rare for Pittsburgh to get a deal done with Fautanu two years out, but the longer the team waits, the more he’ll cost. And if he has a great year, Pittsburgh, under Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy, who have never been in charge of a fifth year option situation in Pittsburgh before, might think about things differently. Age is a factor, too. Fautanu was an older prospect coming out of school. If Pittsburgh waits until 2028, Fautanu will be 27-going-on-28. Hardly old but the sooner he plays out an extension, the better the odds are for the Steelers to get good return on the deal.

Either way, there will be at least some level of financial component to Fautanu next offseason. Either just his fifth-year option, an amount likely worth over $20 million, and the chance of a long-term pact.

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Naturally, this all presumes McCormick, Frazier, and Fautanu stay healthy and play well this season. Health is unpredictable, but it’s reasonable to think all three will continue thriving on the field. Pittsburgh’s invested so much in its offensive line and deserves credit for it. Soon will come the time to keep the group together. The “retain” part of draft, develop, retain.

Fautanu and McCormick are shifting back to their college homes. Frazier has been nothing but excellent out of the gate. Pittsburgh won’t want to break the band up.

In average value, the deals could look like this:

Mason McCormick: $20 million per season
Zach Frazier: $22-23 million per season
Troy Fautanu: $28 million per season (potentially $30 million-plus if his timeline waits another season).

Big, big money.

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They aren’t the only ones to think about. Dylan Cook might be one of the most interesting debates next year. He’s slated to become a restricted free agent that can pay him the first substantial money of his NFL career.

A refresher: teams can place a tender on a RFA: first, second, or original round. The other 31 teams can still submit a contract offer. If Pittsburgh declines to match, they lose the player but gain the pick corresponding to the tender.

Here’s 2027’s tender projections:

First Round: $8.735 million
Second Round: $6.261 million
Original Round: $3.822 million

Because Cook went undrafted, the original round tender would only give Pittsburgh the right of first refusal and the opportunity to match the contract. If not, they won’t receive a draft pick back.

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That puts the team in an interesting position. Apply the original round tender and the team could save money. But it also opens themselves to teams submitting an offer for a still-young tackle without getting any compensation in return.

Applying the second round tender makes more sense. But it will cost more. Likely behind Max Iheanachor and Fautanu, he’ll be an expensive backup.

What’s the right answer? Hard to say. But paying for good offensive linemen is worth it, and the money “saved” by declining Broderick Jones’ fifth-year option can be applied to Cook.

There’s other names to consider. Spencer Anderson is in the final year of his rookie deal. Gennings Dunker appears to be the long-term hope, but what if Anderson wins the starting right guard job and holds onto it? It won’t be so easy to just let him walk. Brock Hoffman signed a one-year deal and will be a free agent next year. Will Pittsburgh re-sign him for depth? They could.

Then, there’s Jones. His future with the team looks bleak, but is there a scenario in which he returns? As Dave Bryan outlined on the podcast, Jones’ contract, in theory, could toll and roll over into 2027 if, and it’s a big if, he spends the entire 2026 season on Reserve/PUP due to his neck injury.

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If not and he becomes a free agent, would Pittsburgh sign him back as a swing tackle? Probably not, but if Jones walks, and Cook gets poached on the tender, the team’s depth will have taken a big hit.

Pittsburgh’s 2027 offseason could be similar to 2014. That June, Maurkice Pouncey signed a five-year extension to become the NFL’s highest-paid center. Two months later, Marcus Gilbert signed his own five-year deal. It was part of an effort to keep the group intact.

This time around, Pittsburgh could pay three players and for substantially more money. Combined, Pouncey and Gilbert’s contracts amounted to about $74 million. Any one of Frazier’s, McCormick’s, or Fautanu’s deals could surpass that.

These aren’t complaints. Having talented draft picks to pay is welcome news for a team who has missed far too often. Only one selection of the 2020 class, EDGE Alex Highsmith, saw a multi-year second contract.

Ditto with the 2021 group – TE Pat Freiermuth. The 2022 class had none. Opening up the wallet for these names is what a team wants. But it’s a storyline and projection that hasn’t been discussed much, and one worth getting in front of.

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It’s also relevant for national talking heads like Colin Cowherd who criticize the team for spending so much on defense. Those scales will tip back if these deals get done.

McCormick. Fautanu. Frazier. Cook. Anderson. Jones. Hoffman. All offensive line decisions to work through.

Answers will come in time. There’s an entire season to play, and what we expect now versus next year’s reality are often different things. But the last time we did this, we noted George Pickens’ future would come into focus in the 2025 offseason. It did by Pittsburgh trading him to Dallas.

General managers have to be forward-thinking, especially with these large contracts that will impact the cap. Having a quarterback on a cheap contract will help, and Pittsburgh should have the money to sign whoever they want.

Next offseason will be a busy one. Quarterback will grab the national headlines, but the offensive line will be where the money, and important decisions, will be made.

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Connecticut

Man shot while riding a moped in North Haven

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Man shot while riding a moped in North Haven


The North Haven Police Department is continuing to investigate after a male was shot while riding a moped on Sunday night.

According to police, a 20-year-old male was shot in the area of Whitney Avenue near the Hamden town line.

The victim sustained non-life-threatening serious injuries and was transported to the hospital.

No other information has been released.

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Police are continuing to investigate, and say that there will be a heavy police presence in the area of Whitney Avenue and Skiff Street.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the North Haven Police Department.



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