Frank Caprio, a renowned judge turned internet sensation, has died at the age of 88.
Caprio’s passing was confirmed on Wednesday by his son, Frank T. Caprio.
Elected as a judge in 1985, Caprio rose to national fame through his television series Caught in Providence, which earned a Daytime Emmy nomination in 2021.
The show gained widespread popularity on social media, with numerous clips going viral – particularly those featuring Caprio compassionately dismissing tickets after hearing the heartfelt stories of those who appeared before him.
Caprio was raised in the Federal Hill neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island, and was the second of three sons.
As a young boy, he shined shoes, delivered newspapers, and worked on a milk truck – early jobs that reflected his parents’ values of hard work and service to others, according to his website.
He graduated from Central High School and earned a bachelor’s degree from Providence College. After college, he remained in Providence and began teaching American Government at Hope High School.
While teaching, Caprio attended night classes at Suffolk University School of Law in Boston, setting him on the path to a legal career.
He went on to serve for a decade as chairman of the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education, the governing body for the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College, and the Community College of Rhode Island.
At Suffolk Law, he established the Antonio ‘Tup’ Caprio Scholarship Fund in honor of his father.
The scholarship supports Rhode Island students dedicated to expanding access to legal services in underserved communities.
He also created scholarships in his father’s name at both Providence College and Central High School.
Caprio retired from the Providence Municipal Court in January 2023, concluding nearly 40 years on the bench.
In recognition of his service, the city renamed its municipal courtroom in his honor in October 2023.
Shortly after celebrating his 87th birthday in December, Caprio revealed he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
‘People ask me what can I do for you? First of all, I can’t thank all of your for your friendship and kind messages. But I would ask that each of you in your own way to please pray for me,’ the Rhode Island judge said.
‘I am in need of the power of prayer, which I believe in addition to the medical treatment I am receiving is the most powerful weapon to help me survive this.’
He completed his final round of radiation treatment in May 2024.
He is survived by his wife, Joyce, along with five children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
Back in 2017, Caprio told DailyMail.com about his surprise at becoming a star – and how he owes it to his own hardworking, immigrant father.
‘I’m always mindful of the fact that the power of the sovereign as opposed to the power of the individual is so disproportionate.
‘Shame on me if I represent the sovereign and I give someone something that they don’t deserve. That’s a strict interpretation of the law.
‘I take it to another extent. If I think there are certain circumstances in an individual’s life or it’s a close call, I give them the benefit of the doubt. I don’t subscribe to the theory that because you were charged you must be guilty,’ he said.
On his show, which aired on the Law & Crime Network, Caprio would regularly excuse parking tickets while dispensing wisdom on those before him.
In one memorable moment in 2018, Caprio dismissed the ticket of a struggling mother-of-two after calling her son up to the bench and asking him if he thought the case should be dismissed.
‘My mom, she’s looking for work cos she’s trying to move from our house. That’s why she can’t spend her money on anything,’ Armando Ramos told the court.
The camera focuses on Ramos’s mother who looks visibly emotional at her son’s words.
Judge Caprio told him as he dismissed the case: ‘Shake my hand, Look me in the eye. You’re a good kid, you love your mom. You made a good plea on her behalf.’
In another, from 2017, a grieving mother, Andrea Rogers, appeared before Judge Caprio with an accumulation of parking fines. She wept as she explained her struggle to keep her life together after her son was murdered.
‘I’m going to take into consideration the horrific story you just told us, relative to your son. I don’t think anyone in their lifetime would ever want to experience that,’ Judge Caprio tells her before dismissing all the penalties.
‘With our best wishes and hope that things turnaround for you. Good luck to you.’
One recipient of Caprio’s kindness, Spencer Gregory, told WJAR that he was heartbroken upon learning of the news.
Gregory had a traffic ticket dismissed after speaking to Caprio about becoming a Catholic priest.
‘He was, you know, just as gracious, just as humble, and just as funny in person,’ Gregory told the station.
‘It wasn’t just that I had to go and take care of a traffic ticket, but that I actually, you know, got something out of it, and really felt that he genuinely cared about who I was as a person,’ he added.
Gregory said that he will once again listen to Caprio’s instruction and pray for him.
This is a breaking news story.