A middle-aged Lithuanian man allegedly faked 20 heart attacks in the Spanish town of Alicante in order to skip out on paying for fancy dinners, Business Insider reported Thursday.
Local police said that the man was arrested last month after pretending to be ill and unable to pay his bill, according to Business Insider.
In the most recent alleged case, the man ate and drank 34.85 Euros (around $36.75) worth of seafood paella and whiskey before faking a heart attack, according to Spain’s EFE News Agency. (RELATED: Woman Exposed For Faking Cancer On Social Media Ordered To Pay Restitution)
Man Arrested In Spain For Faking Heart Attack In 20 Restaurants To Avoid Paying Bill.
In the Blanca region of Spain, local authorities have apprehended an individual who gained notoriety for his cunning scheme at restaurants.
The man, aged 50, would indulge in luxurious… pic.twitter.com/aL5HP4v906
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) October 19, 2023
A spokesman for the Alicante National Police told Insider it was the 20th time within a year that the man had tried the trick, making him well-known to local authorities.
Alert restaurant staff caught the man trying to dine and dash and refused to let him leave when he said he needed to go to his hotel room to get money, the restaurant’s manager said, per EFE.
The man then pretended to have a heart attack by dramatically throwing himself to the ground, but the staff was not fooled and called police, EFE reported. When authorities arrived, they immediately identified the man, according to the news agency.
“He was arrested multiple times in the city of Alicante. The modus operandi was the same,” the spokesperson for Alicante National Police told Insider.
In total, the man reportedly used the heart attack tactic 20 times, tallying meals worth an estimated $800, the Daily Mail reported.
“It was very theatrical, he pretended to faint and slumped himself down on the floor,” one restaurant manager told the US Sun.
The alleged conman’s fake heart attack spree lasted two months, and although he was arrested several times, he was always released because the amount he owed each restaurant was small, according to the Daily Mail.
Currently, the man has been behind bars for 42 days because he has refused two fines he received for his stunts, the outlet reported.