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March 27, 2008

Jury to decide case of alleged con man Kluth

PROVIDENCE -- A Superior court jury will decide the fate of a 48-year-old Newport man alleged to have conned 31 people out of thousands of dollars.

John Kluth Jr. is alleged to have used stories of a broken-down truck full of lobsters to swindle lawyers, the state jury commissioner, a well-known philanthropist, a retired Superior Court judge, officials in the attorney general’s office, a retired Marine Corps colonel, an accountant, businessmen, retirees and others.

The jury was to begin deliberating this morning.

Kluth faces 31 counts of obtaining money under false pretenses.

He's been on trial for two weeks. The state presented more than 40 witnesses, including 31 who said they were conned by Kluth.

The defense presented no witnesses. Kluth did not testify.

Read full coverage of yesterday's developments in the trial.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits

Posted by Jack Perry  at 10:38 AM | Permalink

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Missed his calling | March 27, 2008 1:07 PM link

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