Rhode Island General Laws Title 5. Businesses and Professions § 5-38-19. Criminal penalties for violations--Injunctive relief

(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.

(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.