Paul Guadalupe Gonzales, 45, of Los Angeles, California, has been dubbed the “dine-and-dash” dater after ordering the most expensive dishes, then sneaking out of the upscale restaurants before he received the bill.

His dating mode was to chat up women online and then offer to take them to the best restaurants in the city. After enjoying huge and expensive meals, he would sneak out, leaving his dates to foot the sizeable tab.

Extortion, petty theft and fraud charges for ‘dine-and-dash’ dater

As noted by the BBC, his questionable dating style has finally sneaked up on him and Gonzales could spend 16 years in prison for defrauding his online dates.

He is facing 10 counts of fraud, petty theft and extortion, involving at least 10 women during the last two years. Gonzales recently faced his preliminary hearing in a Pasadena court, where he listened to the women testify against him.

Spurned women speak up

AOL quotes Yolanda Lora as saying she took Gonzales up on an invitation to a West Hollywood sushi restaurant in 2017. She recalls Gonzales speaking very fast and also eating very quickly. He also ordered a couple of glasses of wine, which he drank within 15 minutes of each other.

He then said his son was calling him. The last time she saw him was when he got up to take the call.

Lora asked what kind of monster does this to a woman, saying she was very embarrassed. While she says she is not an insecure woman, the incident made her feel insecure. She went on to say she is glad he has finally been caught out, as she doesn’t want any other women to suffer the way she did.

Martha Barba said she was initially going to meet Gonzales at a Chipotle restaurant before he changed her mind, saying they should dine at Houston’s, an upscale restaurant in the city.

She said she didn’t really want to go with him, as he didn’t look like his online photos and she didn’t find him attractive. However, she said to be “nice” she would go to the restaurant with Gonzales.

Gonzales kept telling her to order whatever she wanted and that it was on him. Barba said he himself ordered a meal of steak, salad and wine. However, shortly before dessert, he suddenly said he had to take a call and he disappeared from the restaurant, forcing her to pay the hefty £92 ($120) bill. Barba, who is a single mother, told the court that she was embarrassed and humiliated and didn’t want to say anything to the waiter. She then used part of her rent money to pay for the food.

Some restaurants took pity on the women

According to prosecutors, while most women paid the bill, some restaurants did take pity on them and didn’t charge the spurned dates.

While in court, the "date-and-dash dater" pleaded not guilty but could face as much as 16 years behind bars, which prosecutors say is justified after the way he set up the women to take the fall. After hearing the case, the judge will now rule on whether the case against Gonzales should go to trial.
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