He faces up to 13 years in prison for the charges.
It may seem like something out of a bad romantic comedy: man meets woman on an online dating site. They go out to a fancy restaurant, where he orders an expensive meal (or two) and plenty of wine. He suddenly gets a call, needs to get his charger from his car, or hears that his aunt is sick. He never comes back, and his dates have to pay the expensive restaurant bills. Yet according to the Los Angeles District Attorney, that is exactly what Paul Guadalupe Gonzales did to a string of women — sticking them with more than $950 in restaurant tabs. He also allegedly walked out of a hair salon, dye still wet on his hair.
Now, Gonzales faces ten felony charges: seven counts of extortion, two counts of attempted extortion, and one count of grand theft. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to thirteen years in state prison.
The story of the dine and dash dater has circulated around Los Angeles for several years. Gonzales’ arrest caps off an interesting saga that should serve as a cautionary tale — that California criminal laws are complicated, and while sticking someone with a bill might not seem like that big of a deal, it can lead to serious criminal charges.
According to a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer, the California crime of extortion includes using force or threats to compel another person to give you money. The elements of extortion include:
- The defendant threatened to do one of the following to the alleged “victim”: (1) Unlawfully injure or use force against him/her, a third party, or his/her property; (2) Accuse him/her or a relative or family member of a crime, OR (3) Expose a secret involving him/her or a family member, or connect any of them with some kind of crime, disgrace, or scandal;
- When making the threat or using force, the defendant intended to force the “victim” into consenting to give him/her money or property or to do an official act;
- As a result of the threat, the “victim” did consent to give the defendant money or property or do an official act; AND
- The “victim” then actually did give the defendant money or property or perform the official act.
Grand theft is defined as the unlawful taking of someone else’s property valued at $950 or more. Both extortion and grand theft are felony charges that carry potential state prison time as charges. While the district attorney has not stated the theory for charging Mr. Gonzales with extortion or grand theft, it is clear that prosecutors intend to aggressively pursue the case.
At the Chambers Law Firm, our team includes a former prosecutor and police professionals. We know the system, and we put our knowledge to work for our clients to help them get justice. If you have been charged with a crime, contact us at 714-760-4088 or dchambers@clfca.com to schedule a free initial consultation with a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer.
