RI man officiates wedding, runs up guest’s credit card

A Rhode Island man officiated a wedding and stole from one of the guests according to Portsmouth Police.

According to Detective Lieutenant Michael C. Arnold, on Monday September 10th, the Portsmouth Police was contacted by the Newport Police who advised that they conducted an investigation into Larceny and Fraudulent Use of Credit Cards after a complaint was made by a 29 year old Lindenhurst New York woman. The victim reported that her purse was stolen while she was staying at the bridal room of a local hotel in Newport, RI. The victim was there attending a friend’s wedding. Inside of her purse was $200 in cash, along with her debit/credit card. The victim contacted hotel security when she realized that her purse was missing.

While at a wedding venue attending a wedding, the victim began to receive alerts on her cell phone that purchases were being made on her credit card. The purchases were being made in Fall River, Middletown, and Portsmouth. A purchase in Portsmouth was made at a pharmacy for the amount of $206.95.

The investigation conducted by Newport Police, aided by hotel security, produced a suspect, James Stern, out of Portsmouth, RI. Stern was the officiant of the wedding. Surveillance video was obtained by Newport Police which shows Stern purchasing a gift card in the pharmacy in Portsmouth.

Stern was arraigned in 2nd District Court in Newport by Newport, Middletown, and Portsmouth Police Departments. Stern turned himself into Portsmouth Police after arraignment and was processed. Stern faces felony charges with the Portsmouth Police Department for fraudulent use of credit cards.