Should this really be a felony? I mean it’s a crappy thing to do, but felony. Plus he only cheated these women out of half of what they say because I’m assuming they ate too.
I think I’d chalk this up to a crappy first date, be happy I didn’t have to deal with the guy again and have a good story.
Am I missing something?
felony vs misdemeanor is just a matter of dollar value. Some states haven't updated their laws since the 70's or 80's when stealing $250 worth of stuff equaled a lot more stuff. There was one state fairly recently-- I wanna say Alabama, cause this is such an Alabama thing to do-- that lowered the felony limit for theft. This was met with real outrage from homeless rights and poverty rights activists, as it's really easy to reach $250 (or whatever limit) on diapers and formula, both of which are frequently stolen by homeless or deeply poor mothers. The net effect of such low dollar thresholds for felonies means you're creating more felons, putting more people behind bars, making more people who lose their voting rights (in most states) and more people who have to check that box on a job application, making it harder for them to find a job.
Sorry for the tangent but it's a big deal and one that doesn't get a lot of coverage.
As for this dude, I would imagine that each individual victim probably chalked it up to a crappy first date and went on with life, till they heard they're part of a pattern of victims. It also sounds like he went overboard on the checks, so he cheated them out of more like 75% of the bill, since they both ate but he was the one shoving 4 lobsters down his face hole. Anyway if you have a pattern of defrauding people, then yeah I think you should face some charges. Not sure if a felony is really appropriate but if it's the standard for homeless women stealing diapers, then it should be the standard for players stealing lobster dinners.
