Expat fakes heart attacks to dodge paying the bill in 20 Spanish restaurants… as pic shows his bizarre ‘theatrics’
A SHAMELESS expat faked heart attacks in at least 20 restaurants in Spain in a brazen bid to dodge paying the bill.
The 50-year-old, originally from Lithuania, has been jailed after failing to fork out for two fines following his outrageous series of theatrical dine and dashes.
A bizarre picture shared in a warning to restaurants appears to show the diner slumped on the floor – which became part of his ridiculous performance.
He would put on the same dramatic act in almost every venue he targeted, the majority of them in Costa Blanca.
One restaurant owner revealed he would order several glasses of White Label whiskey to wash down a Russian salad before faking a heart attack.
Among the eateries he scammed were El Buen Comer and Sale&Pepe, both in Alicante.
The manager of El Buen Comer said: “It was very theatrical, he pretended to faint and slumped himself down on the floor.
“We have sent his photo around to all the restaurants to try and stop him from striking again.”
A worker at Sale&Pepe added: “We’ve all received a warning with his photo telling us to be careful and to not serve him anything.”
The expat has now been thrown behind bars for 42 days after he refusing to pay two fines.
Because each incident was considered a small amount of money, they are only considered as “minor crimes”.
The restaurant owners, however, are now planning to file a joint complaint which could land the man up to two years in jail.
A lawyer from firm Navarra Sancho said: “He has taken advantage of the legal system, with such small fines unpaid it’s difficult to achieve a longer sentence in prison.”
It comes after a restaurant owner was left furious after a married couple fled the country without paying for their £7,000 banquet bill.
Moreno Priorietti and Andrae Svenja – a local 40-year-old construction contractor and his 25-year-old German wife – married at the end of August in Frosinone, southeast of Rome.
The couple tied the knot next to the venue’s swimming pool, before the restaurant – described as a typical Ciociaria eatery – put on a banquet for their 80 guests.
But when the owner of Ristorante La Rotonda went to collect their bill the following day, the newlyweds were nowhere to be seen.