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Judge Frank Caprio reduces fines for man who said he received three tickets, applies donor check to cover $150 charge
Summary
Judge Frank Caprio in Providence imposed a $150 charge for a man who said he had three traffic tickets and was struggling with reduced work hours; Caprio said he would apply a $150 donor check from former Mayor Chuck Shaheen to help the defendant.
Judge Frank Caprio of the Municipal Court of Providence reduced sanctions for a man who said he received three traffic tickets, imposing a $150 charge and saying he would apply a donor check to help cover the cost.
The defendant told the courtroom he had found "three tickets" that "just showed up in the mailbox" and said he works delivering produce but was getting only about 20 hours a week because of "this Corona," which made it hard to pay rent. "I was in federal prison for 30 years," the man said during his remarks, and added that he had been released two years ago and was trying to "do the right thing." The speaker also recounted his past bank robberies and a lengthy police chase that led to his capture.
Caprio responded by praising the man's efforts to rebuild his life and announced a reduced financial penalty. "I'm going to charge you $150," Caprio said, and told the defendant he planned to "use a $150 check from Chuck Shaheen, who's the former mayor of Charleston, Mass.," to offset the charge. The judge framed the decision as offering a second chance, saying the courtroom meets "people and cases with compassion."
The hearing transcript records the judge's statement and the defendant's account but does not list a formal docket entry, statutory citation, or a payment record beyond Caprio's verbal direction. The defendant described earning limited hours as a delivery driver and earlier long-term incarceration; the transcript contains two slightly different statements about the length of his federal sentence (one segment states "30 years," another later says "31 years").
No other formal actions, motions, or opposing statements were recorded in the provided transcript. The proceeding closed with Caprio's customary summary remarks; the judge's oral directive to apply the donor check and impose a $150 charge was the dispositive outcome captured in the record.
Next steps: The transcript shows Caprio's oral disposition; the record provided does not include a written docket entry or payment confirmation in the text supplied.
