A 50-year-old Lithuanian man living in Spain has been repeatedly pretending to have heart attacks at expensive restaurants to avoid paying his bills, according to Spanish authorities.
The man, known as Aidas J., is a Lithuanian residing in Spain. He managed to scam 20 restaurants in the city of Alicante before being arrested last month. His arrest followed an attempt to leave a restaurant without settling his bill by pretending illness, as stated by local police.
This marked the 20th such incident in the span of a year, making Aidas a familiar face to the local police force, a spokesperson for Alicante National Police informed.
In the most recent incident, Aidas ordered two whiskeys and seafood paella at El Buen Corner, receiving a bill of 34.85 euros, approximately $36.75, after his meal. The restaurant’s manager, Moisés Doménech, explained that a colleague spotted Aidas attempting to dine and dash and alerted him about the unpaid bill.
When confronted, the man claimed he needed to go to his hotel room to get cash, but the restaurant staff refused to let him leave without settling the bill.
According to the news agency, Aidas then theatrically threw himself to the ground, pretending to have a heart attack. However, the restaurant staff remained unconvinced and promptly called the police, who instantly recognized the offender.
The spokesperson for Alicante National Police verified that the man had been arrested multiple times in Alicante for the same modus operandi. “He was arrested multiple times in the city of Alicante.” she stated.
As he declined to provide his address, the man was taken into custody, and the case was handed over to the local judiciary. The police spokesperson mentioned that they were aware of the man being sent to prison.
The fraudster has now been sentenced to 42 days in jail for refusing to pay two fines he received for his dramatic antics. Each bill he skipped was considered a minor amount, ranging from €15 to €70 .
His spree continued for two months, during which he was arrested multiple times but released because the amount owed to each restaurant was relatively small.
However, the restaurant owners who fell victim to his dine-and-dash routine are now seeking to file a joint complaint to ensure the conman is imprisoned for a more extended period. In total, the bills for his dine-and-dash incidents added up to €766 .
