A few days ago, the case of a Dominican who danced bachata before a judge who subsequently reduced a $500 fine went viral. The truth is that both that case and hundreds of others are part of a judicial television program, “Caught in Providence,” broadcast on over 10 American television channels.

Dominican Cleuri González came after a police officer asked him to turn down the volume of the music while he was driving, and when he did not understand what he was asking in English, he fined him $500.

Judge Frank Caprio, of Italian origin, asked González what kind of music he had played, to which he answered bachata. “The music he talks about is danced to, right?” The Dominican affirms it, and the judge asks him to dance.

Caprio praised the Dominican culture and said he would like to visit the country.

At the end of the case, the judge reduced his fine from $500 to just $50.

Tons of followers

With the slogan “A different kind of judge. A court like no other”, the well-known program “Caught in Providence” is broadcast daily through networks such as NBC, CBS, FOX, and CW, among others.

According to the description on their website, all cases and people are real.

“Those who stand in front of him have a little fun with the cameras, but Judge Caprio makes it clear that he is there to do his job,” the site explains.

Each episode is also shared on his YouTube account, with more than 2.2 million subscribers.

The “Caught in Providence” program was created in the year 2000 and was broadcast on Saturday nights. After a break, he returned in 2015 and kept the same schedule until 2017. And in January 2019, he renewed his contract until today.

Frank Caprio is the municipal chief judge of Providence, Rhode Island.

Additionally, he was Chairman of the Rhode Island Board of Governors.

Caprio was appointed as a judge in 1985 and has been reappointed six times by the Providence Mayor and the Providence City Council.