How does one get a permit to open a business in the city of Providence with this background? How does one get the AG not only to not prosecute but to stop in for a bite?

Mayor Cicilline's brother linked to bad check for taxes
Thu, Sep 18, 2008

By Mike Stanton
Journal staff writer

Lawyer John M. Cicilline, who faces prison when he is sentenced in federal court in Boston tomorrow for shaking down drug-dealer clients, is at the center of another controversy, involving $75,000 in delinquent Providence taxes.

Two years ago, John Cicilline -- the brother of Mayor David N. Ciclline -- gave the City of Providence a $75,000 check on behalf of a client, Providence businessman Nelson Garcia, who owed the city back taxes.

But when the city's lawyer tried to deposit the check, which was written on May 9, 2006, on John Cicilline's law office account at Fleet Bank, he was told that there were insufficient funds.

The taxes to this day remain uncollected. It is unclear whether the city tried to re-deposit the check later, or to pursue other collection efforts.

According to city tax records, Garcia now owes $78,658 in back taxes on office furniture and equipment for his business, plus $54,000 in back interest, for a total of $132,000.

Garcia, who operates Garcia Enterprises, Garcia Hardware and Garcia Auto Accessories at 577 Cranston St. in the city's West End, could not be reached for comment this afternoon. John Cicilline also could not be reached.

Prompted by press inquiries about the tax situation, the mayor has ordered a review of the matter.

"The mayor has directed members of this administration to conduct a thorough review and to take all appropriate action to secure payment of the outstanding taxes,'' said Karen Southern, the mayor's press secretary.

Southern said that the mayor was unaware of the situation until today. Finance Director Bruce Miller, who has been on the job for just six months and who will head the review, said he does not know what efforts, if any, the city made to collect the taxes during the past two years.

The latest disclosures come as John Cicilline faces sentencing in Boston on a federal conspiracy charge. He, former law partner Joseph A. Bevilacqua Jr. and former paralegal Juan Giraldo have pleaded guilty to charges that they conspired to shake down a drug-dealing couple for $150,000 and manipulate the criminal-justice system.

Why shouldn't he be able to get a permit? He served his time, he was released he theoretically "repaid his debt to society". How long should the man be punished? And this isn't specific to the Cicillines, as I'm no fan of any of them, but when anyone is released from prison, shouldn't they be allowed to live a normal life (with the sole exception of pedophiles needing to register)?

Patrick is right-he did the time and it's better if he does something legit,right?
HOWEVER,Patrick Lynch is a complte ass for stopping in for a bite with some of his assistant prosecutors.
If he wants to go to an Ialian deli,why doesn't he stop in at Anthony's Deli on Admiral and Zilla?Run by an honest kid with local employees(read as no illegal aliens)and some great eats.
He went to high school with my daughter and runs the kind of small business we always hear being promoted.
Oh yeah,he's not an ex-con either.

Forget it - Lynch is politically tone-deaf.
But seriously, I believe the tax dollars Federal Wraps creates are just as green as anyone else's.

The other thing I wonder is whether any of the drug dealers that he shook down might ever umm, come back, maybe looking for their money back. Or worse.

Let's get it right, it's "SANGWICH"

As for the AG, Stan Lee may be good enough, but WInston Churchill said it right, "The price of greatness is responsibility."

Patrick need not worry about being great.

Lynch(Patrick,I know zilch about Bill)is,as they say about degenerate gamblers,"looking to lose".

"The other thing I wonder is whether any of the drug dealers that he shook down might ever umm, come back, maybe looking for their money back. Or worse."

Ha Ha. I am glad someone else had my exact thought.
I can just see the victims cutting out that article now. Hispanic dope dealers don't file complaints with the useless ethics commision.
They practice "self help".

I agree that J. Cicilline has done his time, and now has the right to open a business if he has the capital and initiative to do so. I also don't mind that some elected officials stopped by to support his attempt to forge a new path. What is truly disgraceful is that the ProJo ran a front page feature, on Sunday no less. There are plenty of small businesses that would love such publicity. What might such front page advertising cost? Cicilline doesn't deserve the coverage afforded him by the Journal.

I, myself, am thrilled that John Cicilline has gainful employment: now he can start paying off that $75,000 check he tendered to the City of Providence Tax Collector.

I think it's rediculous that he can get out of prison in February and be open by April. It took me 2 months just to work on a lease with my current landlord, then it took another 2 months for me to work with the city to get my business license....and they're still giving me a hard time about trying to get my beer & wine license. They wouldn't even let me get my business license until I paid the previous business owners taxes....even though i didn't buy their business, just leased the space they were in....so DON'T tell us that he didn't get "special treatment"

to me? My support, my guide, my counsel, my God!" “Why, some malicious person has put all those forty-nine blue bottles and had never given me any occasion to complain of her conduct;