Fake wedding officiant ‘marries’ couple to steal from them in the most cowardly way

James Stern, from Portsmouth, Rhode Island, impersonated wedding officiant and married a couple in a fake ceremony before stealing from them.

Stern, 39, is currently facing charges of impersonating a justice of the peace and larceny, as reported by Mass Live.

On September 15, the unlicensed minister married a Massachusetts couple - Ashley Veilleux and David Mellen - at the Red Jacket Inn in South on Cape Cod.

According to TurnTo10, Veilleux told the security of her hotel and the Newport police that her purse, alongside $200 in cash, disappeared from the wedding room.

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While at the wedding celebration, she received phone alerts that show her credit cards being used to make purchases.

In an interview with Mass Live, Veilleux said that the occasion was an aggregate astonishment, as her online research showed that Stern was wholly authorized.

Stern lists himself as the owner of "An Amazing Day," a wedding vendor company. He was recently voted the top officiant in Newport County by a local magazine.

“I was originally researching photo booths and uplighting, and James Stern’s business ‘An Amazing Day’ was highly recommended on the Knot and WeddingWire. It stated on their sites that he had won multiple awards and had excellent reviews by others,” Veilleux revealed to Yahoo Lifestyle.

NBC News 10 reported that Veilleux made the discovery when she went to get her marriage license and learned it didn't exist.

“He's now going to be a part of my videos and my photos and forever a part of my day, and it’s hard to think about that,” Veilleux told the news outlet.

As reported by Mass Live, police learned that Stern has 51 entries on his criminal record in Massachusetts for comparable crimes.

They also learned that Stern has an active warrant in New Jersey for theft and extensive criminal history in Rhode Island and Connecticut.