Daniel Stern, best known as the bumbling burglar Marv in the iconic “Home Alone” films, has been charged with soliciting prostitution following an incident in California.
The 68-year-old actor received a citation on December 10, 2025, at a hotel in Camarillo, Ventura County, during what authorities described as a prostitution operation, with prosecutors filing a misdemeanour charge against him on January 12, 2026, with a court date set shortly after.
According to TMZ, Ventura County sheriff’s officials issued Stern a ticket rather than arresting him on the spot, meaning no booking or mugshot took place, with Police records indicating that he allegedly attempted to hire an escort, aligning with a broader sting targeting such activities.
The incident, which took place just before Christmas, drew ironic comparisons to his “Home Alone” holiday fame, when the movies see streaming spikes. Neither Stern nor his representatives has commented publicly on the matter.
In California, soliciting prostitution is a misdemeanour that is punishable by up to six months in jail and attracts an up to Sh130,000 ($1,000)fine. As a non-arrest case, Stern could choose to send a lawyer to the Ventura County courthouse hearing to avoid physical appearance.
Stern rose to fame in the 1990s “Home Alone” as Marv Murchins, the “Wet Bandit”, thwarted by Macaulay Culkin’s character, Kevin McCallister, reprising the same role in “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.”
His other works include “City Slickers” and recent TV work like Apple TV+’s “For All Mankind”.
Life after Hollywood would see Stern shift to sculpting, cattle ranching, and citrus farming on his Ventura property, and though the actor mostly lives a reclusive lifestyle, this is not his first Ventura County headline.
In October 2025, the fire department responded to his Somis home for a medical emergency, hospitalising him briefly for an undisclosed issue with no further details emerging from that event.
With news outlets like TMZ and LA Times breaking the story, the internet was set abuzz, seemingly with fans noting the contrast between Stern’s ‘family-man farm’ image and the recent allegations.
As of January 14, 2026, the case remains active, pending court proceedings.