Dine-and-dash-dater' faces more than 10 years in prison for ditching new dates at restaurants

A California man dubbed the "dine-and-dash-dater" is facing numerous felony charges and potentially more than a decade in prison, Los Angeles prosecutors revealed Monday.

What are the details?

Paul Guadalupe Gonzales faces seven counts of extortion, two counts of attempted extortion, and one count of grand theft — all are felonies in the state of California.

His alleged crime? Prosecutors accuse Gonzales of "taking financial advantage of women." They say he met women online and went on dates with them only to "dash" before the bill had been paid, leaving his dates to pay for the food and drinks they consumed.

According to prosecutors, eight women were stuck paying for bills they ran up with Gonzales; only one woman said she was under the impression Gonzales would pay. Meanwhile, restaurants were forced to cover the bill in two instances, elevating those establishments to additional "victims."

In total, Gonzales "defrauded" the women a total exceeding $950, the threshold for grand larceny in The Golden State.

Prosecutors obtained a warrant for Gonzales' arrest on July 3. He was finally arrested and booked into jail on Aug. 25, according to KTLA-TV. A judge has set his bail at $315,000. His preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 7.

Gonzales faces a maximum of 13 years behind bars if convicted on each count.

TheBlaze reached out to the Los Angeles County's district attorney's office. A public information officer told TheBlaze he had no additional information to offer at this time.

How did he do it?

A woman identified as "Michelle" told KCAL-TV that she was surprised when the good-looking Gonzales asked her on a date.

"He was good looking...right away I think, why did he choose me?" she told the news outlet.

As the story goes, she soon found the answer to her question. They met at Smitty’s Bar and Grill in Pasadena. He ordered a salad with shrimp and a filet mignon, going "all out," Michelle said. During dinner, Gonzales told her that his aunt was very sick and he was waiting on a call from his mother.

"All of a sudden he’s all, 'oh, my phone’s dying and I’m waiting on the call from my mom about my aunt. I’m going to go to the car to get my charger' and then my first comment to him when he got up was oh 'what, you’re not coming back?'" Michelle explained.

After 10 minutes of waiting, Michelle learned her jest had become reality — Gonzales had ditched her and the $130 bill they ran up.

"I didn’t mention it to the restaurant, nothing. I think I was more embarrassed, my pride was just like, you know, I felt dumb," she said. "I think he owes every woman an apology."

This story has been updated to add a note from the LA County DA's office.