Collazo told the commission that when Chen was first questioned by the police, he claimed that he had, in fact, checked the identification of the underage students.
Collazo said Chen later retracted that statement, saying he had simply forgotten to check IDs and that he had been busy paying his bills while overseeing the sale.
“What [Chen] did was inadvertent,” Frisoli told the commission. “He just forgot. Regardless of the suspension, he won’t be back here. He now checks everyone’s ID—even 70-year-olds.”
Frisoli said after the hearing that the commission “has broad discretion” in deciding a penalty today.
“If they close him down, Harvard students will have to take a taxi cab to get liquor,” Frisoli said after the hearing.
—Staff writer Robin M. Peguero can be reached at peguero@fas.harvard.edu