Exactly how Scorned girls and a Casanova policeman Caught L.A.’s ‘Dine-and-Dash Dater.

Image Illustration by Sarah Rogers/The Regularly Beast / Images Getty

Paul Gonzales scammed their on the web times into purchasing him pricey meals. Chances are they made your pay.

Jeff Maysh

O ne evening in spring of 2016, Marjorie Moon tucked off their scrubs and washed the emergency room out-of the woman longer blond locks. She stepped into a dress and high heel shoes, changing herself from a tired traumatization nursing assistant into a hot date. The 47-year-old divorcee from la got overwhelmed with gives from boys on matchmaking web pages, whom usually compared the woman to the buddies actress, Lisa Kudrow. For Moon, internet dating present rushing home from 12-hour shifts while wrangling babysitters. “I’d come under many stress,” she demonstrated. “merely unmarried mom products and whatnot. I have five family.” Management usually killed down any romance. After that she matched with a guy known as Paul about dating site PlentyofFish.

Smooth-talking Paul provided the girl love for good dinner, and asked her for the Tam O’Shanter, certainly LA’s earliest eateries. “I’m gonna go with or without you,” he informed her, getting rid of any indecision. Quickly she got driving throughout the city, packed with desire that Paul, 43, could be ‘the one.’ He previously delivered their videos of their two adorable younger sons, and mentioned he was the CEO with the LA Fitness gymnasium team. But as moonlight handed the woman auto secrets to the valet, she spotted the woman time show up by walking. She wondered, performed he n’t have an automobile? Paul’s dyed-black hair had been thick with solution, and then he exuded short-guy strength. As he conducted open the eatery home, his light green attention sparkled.

“Look how gorgeous she’s!” mentioned Paul, since waitress sitting the happy couple. Then, noisy adequate for everyone to hear, the guy exploded: “we don’t are entitled to become with her! She’s thus attractive!” Paul edged his seat closer to hers, then got to focus on the eating plan. Moon mentioned he purchased: “A salad, chicken, seafood, as well as 2 lobster tails privately.” Whenever Paul done, he summoned two even more lobster tails. After rounding from the dish with a devilish chocolates souffle, Paul announced that he desired to date moonlight “exclusively,” then walked outside which will make a telephone call. “A few minutes in, I had a funny sensation,” she said. The guy never came ultimately back.

Once she hit home, Moon got fuming. When Paul sent the lady a text information inquiring “Hi. Exactly How are you presently?” she erupted. She called a girlfriend exactly who certain their to place the phrase aside. It absolutely was late into the evening whenever moonlight angrily typed a Facebook updates update: “Here you will find the pics associated with the people just who ditched me personally at food. Be sure to share on your own FB and inform the story which means this loser does not do that to rest!” Nevertheless got far too late. This lady article moved viral, along with her email full of other victims of the identical people. Their name wasn’t Paul Azini, as he have advised Moon, but Gonzales. He’d advised girls he was an NBC recreations editor, a sports broker, hence the guy worked for the Lakers. Gonzales ended up being apparently everywhere. A widow from Calabasas stated he’d ditched her on Cheesecake manufacturer in Sherman Oaks. “Do you realize if he ever stayed in Colorado?” questioned some other person. His victims all thanked moonlight if you are ‘their sound.’

“Us ladies have to adhere together,” Moon responded, and made a decision to place it all behind their.

“Then the mass media took place,” she stated.

Tv channels, a producer from Steve Harvey’s broadcast show, and a Canadian podcast all called Moon for interviews. Subjects shared some other media desires on fb messenger. Being on a CBS News segment, Diane Guilmette expose that Gonzales ordered not one, but two entrees at an extended seashore eatery before leaving the lady with a $163 bill. “He’s a very, really good looking guy,” accepted another scammed girl. “His vision include definitely attractive.” News anchors soberly released bulletins warning visitors of “handsome” bandit’s modus operandi: Gonzales rapidly enticed lady into a dinner time, consumed like a king, then bolted, deleting their dating visibility on route completely. The 5-foot-5-inch large lothario typically consumed tea plus the unexpected cup of wines, but dedicated to high-ticket foodstuffs like filet mignon. all of us Weekly and CNN known as him the “Dine-and-Dash Dater.”

Using the internet, Gonzales stimulated a nationwide conversation supported by sex government. Some people contended that for a long time women have inked exactly the same thing to people by planning on them to grab the check. Experts within Azusa Pacific institution evaluated the misconception of the “foodie call”—finding that 23–33 percent of women got set-up a romantic date only for the reason for obtaining a free of charge food. The report unearthed that these female offenders scored extremely on three ‘dark’ characteristics traits: “Psychopathy, machiavellianism, and narcissism.” Was actually this Gonzales too? Louis B. Schlesinger, a professor of forensic mindset at John Jay school of Criminal fairness, who decided not to estimate Gonzales, told me that his attitude “may you need to be his or her own private satisfaction to getting one over on anybody.” But why?

Paul Guadalupe Gonzales had a painful youth. He had been born in Montebello, California, in 1973, and grew up in Alhambra, within the San Gabriel area. In kindergarten, the guy chose to remain adjacent to the instructor, preferring adult dialogue. He idolized his father and had been devastated by their mothers’ breakup. Whenever his mama found another partner, 7-year-old Paul informed the person their dad had been the boxing champion Roberto Duran. It absolutely was one of is own first fabrications. A teenage Gonzales turned a fitness lover at 17 discovered act as a health club account salesperson. The guy could promote anything to any person, a family member said. The guy naturally fully understood a person’s desires and requirements, and soon after offered sets from rubber bands to rifle scopes, making $20,000 monthly. He enjoyed to order steak and lobster on his corporate charge card, gambled in vegas, and imagined starting a sports gambling company called Sportstradamus. But a messy split up appeared to derail their existence. By 2016 he had been unemployed. Apartment broke and removed of his expenses account, the guy started initially to search for methods to take in 100% free, a court after read.