Family of accused attempted murderer to try to keep his North End restaurant open by transferring ownership to his brothers

To nobody's great surprise, Patrick Mendoza did not appear at a Boston Licensing Board hearing today on his fitness to own and run a liquor-serving license at Monica's Trattoria on Prince Street now that he's been charged with trying to murder somebody on Hanover Street.

Wililam Ferullo, who has served as the family's licensing attorney for some 20 years, told the board in a hearing via Zoom that Mendoza's wife, Elisa, and his two brothers, Jorge and Francis, are looking to have the restaurant signed over to the brothers, both of whom are also in the North End restaurant business.

He said they are hoping to keep the restaurant remain open, as it has been for the past eight days, by making a six-year employee the new manager of record. Boston restaurants are required to have a "manager of record" answerable to the board, and that's a role that Patrick Mendoza is no longer filling - one of the requirements being to appear at licensing hearings.

Board members, however, said they are unsure how the transfer can happen without the signature of Patrick Mendoza, who is the restaurant's sole owner. Ferullo said that's why it will likely take him and the family until next week to figure that out and seek a formal transfer of ownership from the board.

The hearing began with Ferullo waiving what is the customary reading of police reports that led to the hearing. The police reports in this case cover not only Mendoza's alleged attempt to gun down a long-time acquaintance outside Modern Pastry but events on June 22 and June 29 as well. Court records show he was scheduled for trial in Suffolk Superior Court on a robbery charge in August.

"Is Mr. Mendoza here today?" board Chairwoman Kathleen Joyce asked.

"He is not," Ferullo said, adding, however, that Eliza Mendoza was sitting behind him in his office.

Ferullo pleaded with the board for time to file paperwork to transfer ownership, saying that since the failed shooting, Mendoza's brothers and wife have been pitching in to keep Monica's Trattoria open and its 15 fulltime and 10 parttime workers employed - and income coming in for Eliza Mendoza and the couple's four children.

Ferullo said that in the past, the board has granted permission to restaurants to keep operating even if their designated managers were suddenly unavailable. "People are taking vacations, people get sick, people become incapacitated," he said.

Joyce, however, said this is a completely different case.

"This is really unprecedented," Joyce said. Unlike with the examples Ferullo cited, in this case, "when called upon, the manager of record is unavailable for a week, he's evading the law and he's accused of some serious crimes."

Innocent, etc.