Meridian Man Pleads Guilty to Bribing Commercial Driver's License Skills Tester

BOISE – Ryan Basnaw, 29, of Meridian, pleaded guilty to federal program bribery, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced.

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.

On July 2, 2025, Basnaw offered and agreed to give a CDL skills tester $500 cash in exchange for a passing score on a CDL skills test without ever taking the test. Basnaw did so corruptly and with the intent to influence and reward the CDL skills tester, so that Basnaw could have three restrictions removed from his CDL without taking the required CDL skills test.

In 2025, the Idaho Department of Motor Vehicles, a department of ITD, received more than $10,000 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation under a CDL Program Implementation Grant.

Basnaw is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a minimum of three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine.

U.S. Attorney Davis commended the cooperative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Transportation—Office of Inspector General, which led to charge. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Mazorol prosecuted the case.

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