HopNews
Hillers Pizza, located at 77 West Main Street, is facing potential action against its business license due to serious criminal charges against its licensed manager.
>> RELATED: Hillers Pizza Owner Returns to Court
At Issue
Petros Sismanis, who holds the official restaurant license for Hillers Pizza, was convicted of three felonies related to an incident that occurred at Hillers Pizza in 2023 with a 16-year-old employee. (The jury returned guilty verdicts on all three counts in less than 30 minutes of deliberation.)
- Indecent assault and battery on a person over 14
- Two counts of witness intimidation
He is currently serving six months in prison and has an additional 2-year suspended sentence. He must register as a sex offender in Massachusetts.
The Complication
Though the business was transferred to Eleni Sismanis in July, Petros Sismanis’ name still appears on the official town license. No request has been made to change the license manager.
What’s at Stake
The town’s licensing board has several options for dealing with this situation.
- Fine the business
- Suspend the license
- Revoke the license
- Take no action.
Legal Basis
Under Massachusetts law, if a license holder improperly conducts the licensed business, the licensing authorities can act. The argument here is that committing serious crimes against an employee on business premises constitutes improper conduct of the company.
Potential Resolution
The current owner (Eleni Sismanis) could avoid this process by simply applying to change the manager on the license to someone other than Petros Sismanis.
Next Steps
- Provide proper notice to the license holder.
- Hold a public hearing.
- Give the license holder a reasonable opportunity to respond.
Community Impact
>> RELATED: Hopkinton Residents Picket Hiller’s Pizza
The case has sparked a considerable community backlash with protests outside of Hiller’s Pizza and calls for patron boycotts. Once a familiar figure in the society who donated generously to charity and supported Hopkinton High School athletics, the conviction came as a surprise to many locals, who had met him through his community engagements.
Yet, Sismanis has a lengthy criminal record for similar offenses.
Prior Criminal History
1997 Charges: Initially charged with two counts of rape and three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14+.
1998 Plea Agreement:
- Sismanis pled guilty to two of the three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14+. He was sentenced to 4 years of probation, with the first 6 months under house arrest, except for work and medical appointments.
- He had to pay $1000 toward the victim’s therapy bills.
- It’s unclear if he was required to register as a sex offender, but there was a sexual offender evaluation done as part of his sentence as well.
- On the remaining charges, including the rape charges and one indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older, he was given pretrial probation, which is typically for minor offenses and is only for first-time offenders.
His case records from 1997-1998 were ordered destroyed by the court in 2005.
In 2019, Sismanis tried to vacate the guilty plea on technical grounds, arguing that the plea colloquy was defective, but he was unsuccessful.
A plea colloquy is a formal conversation between a judge and a criminal defendant who has been sworn under oath, which must occur when the defendant enters a guilty plea in court. This conversation serves as a constitutional safeguard to ensure that defendants understand what they are giving up when they plead guilty.
Bottom Line
Technically, Hiller’s Pizza’s ability to continue operating is in jeopardy because the person who officially holds the business license has been convicted of serious crimes that occurred at the workplace. The situation could be resolved if the select board accepts the transfer of the license to a different manager. However, there is a larger question that must be answered.
The answer, for me, is no. This business and its owner’s crimes needs to end now. Sismanis tried to get off the sex registry and the judge denied that. He was on the registry for 20 years. Coming off in 2018. He then partnered up with the Hopkinton Police Association, and sold patches at his store under Chief Lee. Forging relationships with several of our school sports teams. It was a calculated grooming technique. We fell for it. No more. It is my hope that many town folk will attend this public hearing and say no more of this in our town. If we don’t, it will happen again.
Absolutely not. I knew one of his earlier RAPE victims. It was swept under the rug back then. As much as people have said his wife and children should not be punished by his actions I call BS. His wife knew and has been complicit. Now he has abused the daughter/granddaughter of other friends of mine and been convicted. The punishment is lame IMHO.
He’s been in business in town for many years. Think about that. How many other girls were abused but didn’t The come forward? He is 100% a creep.The Hiller name or license should not be transferred to these people. They know what they did.