Who is Frank Caprio? Facts about the ‘America’s Nicest Judge’

Frank Caprio (November 24, 1936 – August 20, 2025) was an American politician and judge, and the head of the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education and the main judge of Providence, Rhode Island’s municipal court. His legal work was shown on the television show Caught in Providence.

Additionally, he appeared in the Parking Wars television series, where he decided on some traffic infraction cases. There are 2.92 million subscribers to the Caught in Providence YouTube channel.

His courtroom films became viral in 2017, garnering over 15 million views. Caught in Providence received about 500 million views in 2022, and one Pulptastic video had 43.6 million views on YouTube. In court, he gained notoriety for his compassion and sense of humor.

Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
The second of three sons of Antonio Caprio, an immigrant from Teano, Italy, and Filomena Caprio, an Italian American woman from Providence whose family had come from Naples, Italy, Caprio was born in the Italian-American community of Federal Hill, Providence. His father was a milkman and a fruit vendor.
Caprio worked as a shoe shiner and dishwasher while attending the public schools in Providence. He graduated from Central High School, where he won the state title in wrestling in 1953. In 1958, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Providence College.

He started teaching American government at Providence’s Hope High School after graduating. Caprio attended night classes at Boston’s Suffolk University School of Law when he was a Hope teacher. As a result, he decided to pursue a career in law. Caprio also served in the Rhode Island Army National Guard from 1954 to 1962 in the 876th Combat Engineer Battalion. Caprio served in the Army National Guard, serving at Fort Indiantown Gap in Pennsylvania and Camp Varnum in Narragansett.

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Career
Caprio was elected to the Providence City Council in 1962 and served until 1968. In 1970, he was the candidate for Attorney General of Rhode Island, but he lost the general election to Republican Richard J. Israel, who received 43.3% of the vote, while Israel received 56.7%. He was elected to five Democratic National Conventions and served as a delegate to the Rhode Island Constitutional Convention in 1975.

A key decision-making body for the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College, and Community College of Rhode Island, he served as chair of the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education. He was a Providence Municipal Court Judge from 1985 to 2023. Additionally, Caprio was a partner in Narragansett, Rhode Island’s Coast Guard House Restaurant. On February 4, 2025, he published Frank Caprio Compassion in the Court.

Low-level quotations from some of the events he presided over were broadcast on local television for almost 20 years. First broadcasting late on Saturday evenings, Caprio’s television show Caught in Providence began on PEG access television in Rhode Island before being picked up by ABC station WLNE-TV in 2000.

Following a break, Caught in Providence resumed airing in 2015, airing Saturdays following the 11 a.m. newscasts until September 2017. In the 2010s, snippets of this program became viral. Additionally, the show was covered by international media outlets like NBC News. Caught in Providence entered nationwide syndication on September 24, 2018. In January 2019, the program received a second season renewal in syndication. Joe Caprio, Caprio’s brother and producer of Caught in Providence, has declared that the show will stop production once Caprio retires. One season is created from fifty episodes and released on Prime Video.

Personal life
For sixty years, Caprio was wed to Joyce E. Caprio. Frank T. Caprio, David Caprio, Marissa Caprio Pesce, John Caprio, and Paul Caprio are their five children. Two great-grandchildren and seven grandkids were born to them. Caprio, a devoted Boston Red Sox supporter, delivered the ceremonial first pitch at the Red Sox’s game against the New York Yankees on July 25, 2019, at Fenway Park.

The Cause of Death
Caprio revealed that he had been given a pancreatic cancer diagnosis on December 6, 2023. In May 2024, he finished his last round of radiation therapy.

He shared on social media from his Providence hospital bed on August 19, 2025, that he had been admitted after suffering a medical setback. At the age of 88, he passed away the next day.

Frank Caprio Net Worth
Frank Caprio’s net worth is not known as of when he died. However, his net worth was estimated at around $10 million.

Social Media
YouTube: @TheRealFrankCaprio

Instagram: @therealfrankcaprio

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