By Jim Clark

A woman contacted police and reportedly claimed that her ex-husband had stolen her credit card and had run up a bill of over $3000 before she caught on and had the card cancelled.

The woman told investigating officers that she kept an unused Mastercard in her home and that she assumed it had a zero balance due. She reportedly said that she usually did not open statements that came in the mail because she believed that the balance would always be at zero.

When she discovered that the card was missing she asked her ex-husband, Robert Murphy, 64, of Watertown, if he knew anything about it, he reportedly told her, “I have it and I used it, I will pay you back.”

Murphy had been reportedly living at the woman’s residence after their separation, when the credit card was taken and used by him.

The woman informed investigators that Murphy had, prior to this incident, stolen her checkbook and wrote several checks to himself for cash and that criminal charges against him for this were pending.

Shocked by the credit card incident, she had the card frozen and contacted investigators to make a formal complaint.

Police investigators confirmed that an excess of $3000 worth of charges had been made on the previously unused card, at several Somerville area businesses.

It was further discovered that Murphy had several outstanding warrants out on him.

Murphy was spotted entering a restaurant that had been paid by the stolen card and was placed under arrest by the investigating officers. He was charged with forgery of a document, receiving a stolen credit card, larceny over $250, and forge or utter false credit card, and on further booked on warrant charges of utter false check, failure to stop or yield, larceny over $250, and operation of a motor vehicle with a suspended license.