(a)  Any person, firm, or corporation required to be licensed under this chapter who conducts an automobile body repair shop business without obtaining a license, or who after the denial, suspension, or revocation of a license conducts that business, is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both; for a second conviction, is guilty of a felony and shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) and not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), or by imprisonment for not more than two (2) years, or both; and for a third and subsequent conviction, is guilty of a felony and shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not less than two thousand dollars ($2,000) nor more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by imprisonment for not less than two (2) years nor more than five (5) years, or both. For the purposes of this section, a plea of nolo contendere with probation shall be considered a conviction.

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Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 5-38-19

  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • in writing: include printing, engraving, lithographing, and photo-lithographing, and all other representations of words in letters of the usual form. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-16
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
  • person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6
  • Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
  • Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
  • Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.

(b)  If the department of business regulation has reason to believe that any person, firm, corporation, or association is conducting an automobile body repair shop business without obtaining a license, or who after the denial, suspension, or revocation of a license is conducting that business, the department may issue its order to that person, firm, corporation, or association commanding them to appear before the department at a hearing to be held not sooner than ten (10) days nor later than twenty (20) days after issuance of that order to show cause why the department should not issue an order to that person to cease and desist from the violation of the provisions of this chapter. That order to show cause may be served on any person, firm, corporation, or association named by any person in the same manner that a summons in a civil action may be served, or by mailing a copy of the order, certified mail, return receipt requested, to that person at any address at which that person has done business or at which that person lives. If during that hearing the department is satisfied that the person is in fact violating any provision of this chapter, the department may order that person, in writing, to cease and desist from that violation. All these hearings are governed in accordance with the administrative procedures act, chapter 35 of Title 42. If that person fails to comply with an order of the department after being afforded a hearing, the superior court for Providence County has jurisdiction upon complaint of the department to restrain and enjoin that person from violating this chapter.

History of Section.
P.L. 1974, ch. 111, § 2; P.L. 1981, ch. 258, § 1; P.L. 1985, ch. 181, art. 13, § 2; P.L. 1993, ch. 229, § 1; P.L. 1998, ch. 117, § 3.