PROVIDENCE – Raymond Hugh, former co-owner of the now-closed Shark Sushi Bar & Grill Inc., pleaded no contest to bribing former House Speaker Gordon Fox, according to a news release from Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin.
Hugh, 50, of Cranston, appeared before Superior Court Justice Susan E. McGuirl on Wednesday on a bribery of a public official charge.
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Under the terms of the plea, Hugh was sentenced to three years, with one year to serve and the remainder suspended with probation.
In 2008, while serving as an appointed member and vice-chairman of the City of Providence Board of Licenses, Fox admitted to the court that he accepted a $52,000 bribe from the Shark Sushi Bar and Grill owners to help secure a liquor license for it, despite considerable neighborhood opposition to the application. At a hearing in August 2008, Fox spoke in detail regarding why the license should be awarded, moving the board to approve the Shark Bar’s application. The board then voted to approve the application.
Kilmartin said that had the trial gone forward, the state was prepared to prove that Hugh bribed Fox, in his capacity as vice chairman of the Providence Board of Licenses, to advocate for and vote in favor of approving the liquor license for the Shark Bar.
“Gordon Fox was not the only guilty party in this transaction. Raymond Hugh knowingly and willingly bribed Gordon Fox to ensure his business was awarded a liquor license,” Kilmartin said in a statement. “There are scores of business owners who go before city and state licensing boards every day for approval to open and operate businesses. They are seeking nothing more than an honest and fair review and assessment. They should not be penalized because someone else uses influence, power and money to corrupt the system. I hope this prosecution sends a strong message that if you engage in bribery or other illegal methods to secure an unfair advantage, you are just as culpable as the person who accepts the bribe.”
Chris Bergenheim is a PBN staff writer.
