BOISE, Idaho — A former Idaho Transportation Department skills tester has admitted taking a bribe in exchange for a passing score on a commercial driver's license test.
U.S. Attorney for Idaho Josh Hurwit announced Monday that Kelly Nathaniel Goodman, 71, of Gooding, Idaho, pleaded guilty to honest services wire fraud. Goodman was an Idaho CDL skills test examiner for more than 20 years, until late 2021.
ITD contracts with third-party examiners to administer CDL skills tests.
"Goodman, however, engaged in a scheme and artifice to defraud ITD's right to honest services," Hurwit said in a news release.
Goodman pleaded guilty specifically to receiving a bribe from an individual on Aug. 31, 2021. Federal prosecutors alleged that between December 2017 and May 2020, Goodman had received "at least $38,000 in bribes" in return for providing passing scores on CDL tests, and that this was done "without the knowledge or permission of ITD," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The charges were brought as a result of cooperative efforts by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General, Hurwit said.
Goodman is scheduled to be sentenced June 22, and faces a possible maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. A U.S. District Court judge will determine the sentence after considering the federal sentencing guidelines and other legal factors.
As part of the plea agreement, Goodman has agreed to pay restitution to ITD and the U.S. Department of Transportation, and to pay a forfeiture money judgment of at least $38,000.
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