St. Charles restaurateur denies bilking customers

A St. Charles restaurateur Thursday denied allegations he stole from customers using their credit card numbers.

Paul D. Gale, 43, of the 1300 block of Brook Street in St. Charles, was arraigned in Kane County Circuit Court on charges of insurance fraud, misuse of a credit card and filing a false police report at a hearing before Judge T. Jordan Gallagher. He pleaded not guilty.

Gale was arrested in late May after police say he filed a false police report claiming $30,000 in computers had been stolen from a restaurant he was about to open on St. Charles' east side. Police said investigators quickly realized details of the reported burglary did not "match up," and a larger case began to unravel.

Eventually, Gale was implicated in an operation that, according to police, involved racking up frivolous charges on customers' credit cards after they left the Bar-B-Que Shack in St. Charles. Gale also operated a barbecue restaurant in Campton Hills, which has closed.

Gale's defense attorney, Matthew Downs, declined to comment Thursday.

If convicted of the most serious offense, Gale could be sentenced to probation or three to seven years in prison. He's due back in court Sept. 30.