A serial diner from Lithuania has been arrested for pretending to have heart attacks to dodge bills in 20 different restaurants. Aidas J, 50, residing in Alicante, Spain, consistently scammed local eateries with his elaborate ruse.
Eyewitnesses report that Aidas would dramatically clutch his chest and collapse on the floor, feigning a heart attack. To enhance his deception, he often posed as a Russian tourist, even blending multiple languages in his act.
Spanish newspaper, El País, revealed that Aidas’s scamming pattern always began with a Russian Salad, continued with multiple glasses of whiskey, a main course of either entrecote or lobster, and ended with more whiskey. His stylish attire, mostly designer brands, gave no hint of his fraudulent intentions.
The final incident that led to his capture occurred at the Buen Comer restaurant. Manager Moisés Doménech spotted Aidas attempting to leave without paying. When confronted, Aidas once again performed his theatrical fall to the ground. “It was very dramatic,” Doménech told the Sun. On this occasion, Aidas had ordered two whiskeys and a seafood paella, racking up a bill of 34.85 Euros.
In a twist to his deception, Aidas sometimes sought medical attention for his faux “heart issues,” and on occasions was even hospitalized, according to El País.
His repeated offenses caught up with him when he disregarded court summons and fines. Although he had been previously arrested multiple times in Alicante for similar tactics, he continued his spree.
A spokesperson for the Alicante National Police stated, “The modus operandi was always the same.”
While his repeated actions finally landed him in jail for 42 days, his offenses were categorized as minor since each bill he dodged ranged from £13 to £60.