This Couple Was Sent To Prison For Fraud After They Racked Up Over $1,400 In Unpaid Restaurant Bills By Dining And Dashing

Andrey Popov - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only
Andrey Popov - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only

Over a span of 10 months, a Welsh couple racked up around $1,400 in unpaid restaurant bills after dining in for expensive meals and dashing when it was time to pay.

They even used their children to further their scheme. A judge sentenced them to prison for fraud, stating that their actions were fueled by “pure and utter greed.”

The couple was a 41-year-old man named Bernard McDonagh and his 39-year-old wife, Ann, from Port Talbot.

They have six children together. During their dine-and-dash spree, they targeted four restaurants and a Chinese takeout business.

At an Italian restaurant called Bella Ciao in Swansea, they ordered T-bone steaks and double portions of dessert.

After eating, they left without paying the check, which came out to a total of about $410. Additionally, the Golden Fortune Chinese Takeaway lost $124 to the couple.

Another restaurant in Swansea, the River House, claimed that the pair had run up a bill of roughly $338.

To make matters worse, whenever their card was declined for insufficient funds, Bernard and Ann would leave some of their children behind in the restaurant while they supposedly went to retrieve more money.

However, they never came back to pay for the meal, and eventually, the kids would have to run out.

Andrey Popov – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only

Overall, the McDonaghs robbed the establishments of nearly $1,485. In court, they pled guilty to five counts of fraud.

Ann also admitted to four counts of shoplifting and was sentenced to 12 months in prison. Bernard received a sentence of eight months.

Judge Paul Thomas of Swansea Crown Court, who presided over their cases, stated, “You were not going to these places to feed you and your family; it was criminality for criminality’s sake — to see if you could get away with it. I have no doubt, apart from the greed element, you had got a buzz out of what you were able to get away with.”

Ann’s attorney said her behavior could be linked to the fact that she was grieving deaths in the family.

Bernard’s lawyer said he was “deeply embarrassed and ashamed,” adding that he had even brought money to the court to pay back the restaurants.

Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.

Emily  Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a ... More about Emily Chan

More About: