PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – The Providence Retirement Commission on Friday approved pensions for more than a dozen people, including a prominent judge, a controversial police officer and a recent congressional candidate.
The commission also voted to review an existing pension paid to a former police officer who was fired in 2013 after his superiors admitted to having a sexual relationship with a witness while on the job. .
The city commission, which is responsible for determining whether former employees are eligible to receive pensions, regularly reviews the names of people who have contributed to the city in various positions.
Among those names Friday was former Municipal Court Judge Frank Caprio, who was approved for two pensions from his time as a judge and as a City Council member.
Caprio, 86, was a mainstay on the hugely popular TV show “Caught in Providence” until he announced his retirement in January after nearly 40 years on the bench.
The Retirement Board also awarded a full pension to former police captain Stephen Gencarella, who served in the police department for more than 25 years. The captain came under fire in 2022 after he was caught on camera slamming the handcuffed suspect’s head against the pavement during his arrest near India Point Park.
Gencarella submitted his resignation the day after he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor simple assault charge. He was sentenced to one year of probation. Mr. Gencarella has been employed for more than 25 years, exceeding the 20 years required to receive a full pension from the city.
From politics, the board awarded a partial pension to state senator Ana Quesada, who worked in the capital as a law enforcement inspector. Quesada has become better known in recent months for his failed bid to replace former Rep. David Cicilline.
Quesada finished seventh in a crowded Democratic primary earlier this month.
In addition to approving the pension, the board also voted to reconsider whether to cancel or replace former police officer Katchig Kazanjian’s pension.
In 2012, the 15-year veteran was accused of having sex while on duty with a woman involved in a domestic violence dispute.according to Providence Journal ReportKazanjian responded to the call and took the woman involved in the dispute to his home to retrieve her belongings, where he ended up having sex with her.
Kazanjian was fired a year later. His boss asked city officials to strip him of his pension, which was instead granted.
Col. Oscar Perez is trying again, asking the board to consider revoking or reducing Kazanjian’s benefits. In his letter to the board, Perez said that if “a majority of the board determines, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the employee engaged in ‘dishonorable service,'” the committee may He claimed that he had the authority to revoke the
“In this case, Officer Katchig Kazanjian’s disgraceful conduct is clear,” Perez wrote. “Kazanjian admitted that on May 8, 2012, after a violent fight with her boyfriend, he took her back to his apartment and had sex with her.”
alexandra leslie (aleslie@wpri.com) is an investigative reporter at Target 12, covering Providence and more for 12 News.connect with her X, formerly known as Twitter And even more Facebook.