Kelly Nathaniel Goodman, 71, of Gooding, Idaho, pleaded guilty to honest services wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today.
According to court records, to obtain a commercial driver’s license (CDL) in Idaho, an applicant must, among other requirements, receive a passing score from a CDL skills test examiner. The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) contracts with third-party CDL skills test examiners to administer CDL skills tests in Idaho. Since the 1990s until late 2021, Goodman was an Idaho CDL skills test examiner.
Goodman, however, engaged in a scheme and artifice to defraud ITD’s right to honest services while serving as an Idaho CDL skills tester. Without the knowledge or permission of ITD, Goodman accepted bribes in return for providing passing scores on Idaho CDL skills tests. Goodman specifically pleaded guilty to receiving a bribe on August 31, 2021, in return for giving an individual a passing score on an Idaho CDL skills test.
Between December 2017 and May 2020, Goodman accepted numerous bribes in exchange for giving passing scores on Idaho CDL skills tests. During that time, Goodman received at least $38,000 in bribes in exchange for giving passing scores on Idaho CDL skills tests.
Goodman is scheduled to be sentenced on June 22, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. As part of a plea agreement, Goodman agreed to pay restitution to the Idaho Transportation Department and U.S. Department of Transportation, and to pay a forfeiture money judgment of at least $38,000. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Hurwit credited the cooperative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Department of Transportation—Office of Inspector General, which led to the charges.
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