Suspected ‘Dine-and-Dash Dater’ denies sticking women with the check, faces 13 years in jail
Authorities say a man could face 13 years in prison for allegedly bilking eight women out of several hundred dollars after meeting them for dinner dates — including at a restaurant in Burbank — and leaving them with the check.
Paul Guadalupe Gonzales, 45, was charged with seven counts of extortion, two counts of attempted extortion, one count of grand theft and two counts each of defrauding an innkeeper and petty theft. He pleaded not guilty to the charges on Monday, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Over a period of two years, beginning in May 2016, Gonzales would meet most of the women he is accused of scamming through dating websites and apps. Authorities said he would take the women to restaurants in Burbank, Long Beach, Los Angeles and Pasadena, where he would order food and drinks.
Gonzales would then flee from the restaurants, leaving the women he abandoned to pay for the bill.
He was soon dubbed as the “Dine-and-Dash Dater” by authorities. It’s estimated he scammed the women out of nearly $1,000 in total.
Gonzales is also accused of fleeing from a Burbank hair salon earlier this year after receiving a haircut.
Twitter: @Andy_Truc
