Francesco "Frank" Caprio is the chief municipal judge in Providence, Rhode Island and the former Chairman of the Rhode Island Board of Governors. His judicial work is televised on the television program Caught in Providence. He also has made appearances in the series Parking Wars dealing with several cases of traffic violations in his courtroom. In 2017, videos showing his courtroom went viral, with more than 15 million hits. In 2019, views of Caught in Providence were nearing 100 million since 2015 and one video shared on Pulptastic had 43.6 million views on YouTube.
Early life and education
Caprio was born in the Italian American neighborhood of Federal Hill, Providence, the second oldest of the three sons of Antonio Caprio, an immigrant father from Teano, Italy, and Filomena Caprio, an Italian American mother from Providence whose family had immigrated from Naples, Italy. His father worked as a fruit peddler and a milkman. Caprio attended the Providence public schools, while working as a dishwasher and shoe-shiner. He graduated from Central High School, where he won the state title in wrestling in 1953. He earned a bachelor's degree from Providence College. After graduating, he began teaching American government at Hope High School in Providence, Rhode Island. While teaching at Hope, Caprio attended the night school of the Suffolk University School of Law in Boston. This subsequently led to him joining the legal profession. Caprio also served in the National Guard from 1954 to 1960, being stationed at Camp Varnum in Narragansett and Fort Indiantown Gap in Pennsylvania.
Career
Caprio was elected to the Providence City Council in 1962 and served until 1968. He was elected as a Delegate to the Rhode Island Constitutional Convention in 1975 and he has been elected as a Delegate to five Democratic National Conventions. He served as chairman of the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education which controls major decisions for the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College and Community College of Rhode Island. Since 1985 he has served as a Providence Municipal Court Judge. Parts of the proceedings over which he presided, featuring low-level citations, ran for more than two decades on local television. On September 24, 2018, the show Caught in Providence started national syndication. The show was renewed for a second season of syndication in January 2019. Caprio is also a partner in the Coast Guard House Restaurant in Narragansett, Rhode Island.
Community outreach
At Suffolk University School of Law, Caprio founded the Antonio “Tup” Caprio Scholarship Fund. This scholarship, named after the Judge's father, who had only a fifth grade education, is for Rhode Island students who are committed to improving access to legal services in Rhode Island urban core neighborhoods. He has also established scholarships at Providence College, Suffolk Law School, and for graduates of Central High School, named in honor of his father. Caprio has been involved in the Boys Town of Italy, the Nickerson House Juvenile Court and Rhode Island Food Bank. In 1983 he was the Co-Chair for the Rhode Island Statue of Liberty Foundation. The Judge was also a member of the Board of Regents of Elementary and Secondary education and the Governor's Pre-K thru 16 Council on education. He is a Member of President's Council at Providence College.
Caprio has been married to Joyce E. Caprio for over 50 years. They have five children together, including: Frank T. Caprio, David Caprio, Marissa Caprio Pesce, John Caprio, and Paul Caprio. They also have seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. An avid Boston Red Sox fan, Caprio threw the ceremonial first pitch on July 25, 2019, at Fenway Park when the Red Sox took on the New York Yankees.
