An ex-state trooper who says he “let the citizens of the Commonwealth down,” with his participation in a Commercial Driver’s License bribery scheme, is going to jail for three months, a shorter prison sentence than the 15 months that federal prosecutors sought.

U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani has sentenced Halifax man Calvin Butner, 64, to three months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release with the first three months in home confinement.

The Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s office was seeking a sentence of 15 months in federal prison, one year of supervised release, and the mandatory special assessment of $900.

“Sentencing in this type of case is extremely difficult,” Talwani said at the Seaport federal courthouse on Tuesday. “What I see here … (is) a long career of service, but at the end of that, to have gotten the circumstance is a truly difficult situation to be in.”

“You’re in this position of trust and a position of authority,” the judge told Butner, “and the requirements of doing the job right are not to do those favors, and that you can’t cut corners for anybody.”

Talwani did not impose a fine against Butner, who collects pension more than $72,000 a year. In 2022, Butner took home nearly $160,000 — including $102,712 in base pay and $57,180 in other pay.

During the sentencing, Butner called his actions “terrible.”

He pleaded guilty in April to one count of conspiracy to falsify records, three counts of falsifying records and aiding and abetting and five counts of making false statements.

“I have apologized to God, I have apologized to my family,” Butner said Tuesday. “The actions that I took, I do not take them lightly. … I understand the weight of what I did and how egregious it was.”

A CDL is required to drive a commercial vehicle, such as a tractor-trailer, box truck, or school bus. A CDL applicant must prove that they have detailed knowledge of commercial vehicles, and they also have to perform certain maneuvers and safely drive on public roadways, including a highway.

Butner’s attorney, William H. Connolly, in his sentencing memo, wrote that his client recognizes the seriousness of his conduct and said he has accepted full responsibility for his actions.

Butner and other members of the Mass State Police CDL Unit gave preferential treatment to at least 17 CDL applicants by agreeing to give passing scores on their CDL tests regardless of whether they actually passed.

Some of the applicants included Butner’s childhood friend, a worker at a fence company where Butner was a customer, and mutual acquaintances. Butner and the co-defendants used the code word “golden” to identify these applicants.

“For over 40 years, I prided myself on being a good officer, doing the right thing,” Butner said during the sentencing. “I never had any issues; I had done over 40,000 tests.

“At the end of my career, I got lazy,” he added. “I didn’t do the right thing, and I let the citizens of the Commonwealth down.”

Federal prosecutors pointed to a series of comments that Butner texted to a co-conspirator about applicants, revealing how he joked about the conspiracy.

One included: “This guys a mess. . . . Lol. He owes u a prime rib 6inch.”

Butner is said to have given passing scores to three applicants who failed the CDL test and to five applicants who did not take the test at all.

“Your honor, that is corruption, plain and simple,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Deitch told Talwani during the sentencing.

Butner was charged in a 74-count indictment along with five others in the conspiracy in January 2024. His sentencing marks the second related to the scheme.

Talwani sentenced former state trooper Perry Mendes, 64, of Wareham, last week to one month in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release with the first two months on home confinement.

Butner received several letters of support from family members and friends, who wrote to the federal judge ahead of sentencing. His daughter Tanya Figueroa described her father as “someone who has spent a lifetime following rules, taking orders, and bearing the burden of responsibility — often quietly, always completely.”

Before she issued the sentencing, Talwani told Butner, “I do have to think about who you are and your personal history and characteristics. Your family here, and the letters I have is a real testament to that. People have really said you who are.”