Former Texas trooper gets prison time for accepting bribes for clean inspections

Kevin Gerard Cauley, a former Texas Department of Public Safety sergeant, has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for accepting bribes from a trucking company in exchange for clean inspection reports, according to a report from the Dallas Morning News.

Cauley reportedly pleaded guilty last June to one count of honest services wire fraud. According to the report, Orlinte Cruz, the owner of Dallas-based trucking companies Cruz and Sons Transportation and UGMA Logistics, approached Cauley in July 2014 about conducting safety inspections for the company.

From that point through September 2015, Cauley reported conducting 39 Level 1 inspections on Cruz and Sons trucks, all of which were given a Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance inspection decal for a clean inspection.

Cruz reportedly paid Cauley at least $4,000 for the clean inspections. Cruz pleaded guilty earlier this year and has yet to be sentenced.