Ex-Manager of Brockton RMV Pleads Guilty to Extortion

BROCKTON — The former manager of the Brockton Registry of Motor Vehicles has pleaded guilty to giving out passing learner's permit test scores for money.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says 43-year-old Mia Cox-Johnson of Brockton admitted Thursday to two counts of extortion under color of official right and one count of conspiring to commit extortion.

Cox-Johnson was working as the manager of the Brockton RMV when she took money and, in exchange, gave passing scores on learner’s permit tests for both regular and commercial driver’s licenses — even if the test-takers did not pass.

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From December 2018 and October 2019, the attorney's office said Cox-Johnson told customers to request a paper test instead of taking it on the computer, and then scored the paper tests herself.

This isn't the first time the Brockton RMV has come under scrutiny.

In February 2022, the RMV said an internal investigation found that more than 2,000 people received passing road test scores from two examiners without actually taking the test.

Four employees were fired in connection to that incident, although it is unclear if Cox-Johnson is one of them.

The U.S. Attorney's office said Cox-Johnson accepted bribes on at least two occasions.

In December 2018, she accepted $1,000 in cash delivered from a friend on someone else's behalf for giving a passing score to the person's relative, who had failed the learner's permit test six times.

Cox-Johnson passed their test, which was taken on paper.

Then, in October 2019, a customer took three tests needed as a prerequisite for a commercial learner's permit.

According to the office, Cox-Johnson took $200 in cash from someone to score the customer as passing the tests even if they didn't pass.

The applicant actually did fail one of the tests, but Cox-Johnson scored them as passing all three.

In fact, the applicant failed one of the tests, but Cox-Johnson scored the applicant as having passed all three tests.

She faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years on probation and a maximum fine of $250,000.

Sentencing is set for July 20.

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