Paul Guadalupe Gonzales, 45, was hit with four new felony counts of extortion for allegedly ditching women on dates and leaving them with the bill. (Facebook)
The "dine-and-dash dater" who allegedly stuck his dates with hefty dinner bills faces additional charges, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced Friday.
Paul Guadalupe Gonzales, 45, was hit with four new felony counts of extortion while one felony count of grand theft auto and one misdemeanor county of petty theft were dropped. The District Attorney's office said he pleaded not guilty to the new charges at a hearing Friday.
'Dine-and-dash' dater faces 10 felony counts
45-year-old Paul Guadalupe Gonzalez is accused of ditching several women at Los Angeles area restaurants before the waiter brought their checks; he faces more than a decade in jail.
In all, Gonzales now faces 11 felony counts of extortion, two felony counts of attempted extortion, two misdemeanor counts of defrauding an innkeeper by non-payment and one misdemeanor count of petty theft.
Prosecutors allege that between May 2016 and April 2018, Gonzales would meet women through dating apps and take them out to dinner, but before the check came, he'd skip out on his dates -- leaving them to pay for his meals.
"Eight women purportedly ended up paying the bill themselves, one in the belief that the defendant was going to pay her back," officials said.
Two of the restaurants at which Gonzales allegedly dined and dashed paid for his bill after he abandoned his dates, according to the district attorney's office.
In total, it's alleged Gonzales defrauded more than $950 from the women he ditched.
A woman who claims she went out with Gonzales told The Washington Post in August that the two met up at a nice restaurant in Los Angeles in 2016, and things seemed to be fine.
He reportedly ordered "a chicken dish and four lobster tails," in addition to "expensive wine and then a soufflé for dessert."
Marjorie Moon said Gonzales told her he had to make a phone call, and eventually the waiter told her Gonzales left.
"I couldn’t believe it," Moon said. "I just handed [the waiter] my credit card and said, 'I just want to go home' — $250 later, I was out the door."
In a separate case, Gonzalez is accused of walking out of a hair salon without paying after retaining their services.
With the new charges, Gonzales faces a maximum of 16 years and 10 months in county jail if convicted.
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