Additional Charges Filed Against Alleged Dine-And-Dash Dater
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Additional charges were filed Friday against a man who has become known as the "Dine-and-Dash Dater".
Paul Guadalupe Gonzales, 45, was charged with four new felony counts of extortion, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said.
Officials said one felony count of grand theft and one misdemeanor count of petty theft were dismissed.
Gonzales, who reportedly met his alleged victims on dating sites, pleaded not guilty to the new charges at a hearing today.
The defendant now faces a total of 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, according to the amended criminal complaint.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Tuesday at 11 a.m. in Department C of the Los Angeles County Superior Court in Pasadena.
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Authorities said from May 2016 through April 2018, Gonzales dined with many women and left them holding the bill, according to Deputy District Attorney Michael Fern of the Cyber Crime Division.
The Dine-And-Dash Dater allegedly had meals with the victims throughout Los Angeles County, including Pasadena, Long Beach, Burbank and Los Angeles, the prosecutor said.
Several of Gonzales' alleged victims said he ate well and always ordered the most expensive things on the menu. A bodybuilder, he would tell the women he was training for competition and would often order two meals.
In two instances, the restaurants picked up the tab, the prosecutor said. Those businesses are among the victims named in the criminal complaint.
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In an unrelated incident, the defendant also allegedly received services from a hair salon and left without paying.
Gonzales faces a possible maximum penalty of 16 years and 10 months in county jail if convicted on all charges..
The case remains under investigation by the Pasadena Police Department.
Bail remained at $315,000.