Trucking news and briefs for Monday, April 10, 2023:
Kelly Nathaniel Goodman, 71, of Gooding, Idaho, recently pleaded guilty to honest services wire fraud, according to U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit.
According to court records, Goodman was a third-party CDL tester contracted with the Idaho Transportation Department since the 1990s until late 2021.
According to Hurwit, Goodman “engaged in a scheme and artifice to defraud ITD’s right to honest services while serving as an Idaho CDL skills tester.”
Goodman reportedly accepted bribes in return for providing passing scores on Idaho CDL skills tests and specifically pleaded guilty to receiving a bribe on Aug. 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. Hurwit said that 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 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.
