Man sentenced for faking seizures at restaurants

[August 12, 2010]  BALTIMORE (AP) -- A Baltimore man has been sentenced to a year and a half in jail for faking seizures to get out of paying restaurant bills.

City prosecutors said 43-year-old Andrew Palmer pleaded guilty last week to one count of theft scheme, and a judge agreed to impose an 18-month sentence -- the maximum Palmer could have received.

Prosecutors said Palmer ate and drank at several restaurants between April and July, and when he couldn't pay, he would feign a seizure that required medical personnel to respond. The maximum penalty for each individual offense was 90 days in jail because the value of each meal was less than $100.

Court records show Palmer has a long criminal record that includes 40 convictions for theft and dozens more arrests.

[Associated Press]

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