Appeal denied for seafood scam artist

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) -- A local scam artist seeking to appeal his trial has been denied by the Rhode Island Supreme Court.

John Kluth was found guilty of thirty counts of obtaining money under false pretenses and sentenced to 35 years with 16 to serve at the ACI.

He was convicted of scamming almost three dozen people out of thousands of dollars using a false story in which he needed money to fix his broken-down lobster truck.

Kluth filed his appeal on the grounds that the presiding judge exceeded his authority by accepting a change-of-venue request from the prosecution, that his right to a fair trial was violated, and that he was prejudiced against through the joining of the charges against him.