Charmer’s Theft Trial Set to Start This Week

They call him “Mr. Wonderful.”

Women who have loved, and loathed, Matt Edward Mathews consider him a charming bon vivant who won their hearts with tales of heroic exploits and the promise of eternal affection.

But starting this week, some of his former girlfriends are scheduled to testify in court that Mathews, a 60-year-old Laguna Niguel man who has been married at least 11 times, is anything but the wonderful man they thought he was.

Mathews stands accused by Orange County prosecutors of using his seductive powers to fleece unsuspecting women out of thousands of dollars. He’s charged with six counts of grand theft for allegedly taking about $40,000 in “loans” from six women that he never repaid. He also is accused of attempting to swindle more money from two others.

If convicted, Mathews faces a maximum of nine years in prison.

Mathews, who is free on $250,000 bail, said in court papers that he is trying to pay off the money but has been thwarted by overzealous prosecutors intent on blocking his money-making ventures. His attorney, Marshall Schulman, declined to comment further.

Prosecutors say Mathews never intended to repay any money. Mathews, they allege, is a longtime and supremely practiced con artist whose career spans three decades and includes two previous convictions for similar crimes.

They allege Mathews followed a routine that, according to court documents, varied little from woman to woman. Typically, he met the women through personal ads or at local restaurants. The women were usually middle-aged and were quickly impressed with Mathews’ attentiveness and pledges of love, according to court records.

After a while, prosecutors allege Mathews would request loans from his girlfriends, saying that he had money troubles. In many cases, the women complied. One 45-year-old woman from San Clemente loaned him $27,000 for dental implants and payments on a BMW automobile.

A Garden Grove teacher gave him about $8,000 over a three-year period. A Laguna Hills woman gave him $5,000, according to papers filed by prosecutors.

Several victims declined to comment on the case when contacted.

This is not the first time Mathews has been in trouble with the law.

In 1977, he was convicted of stealing from two Santa Barbara County women. Six years later, an Orange County judge sentenced Mathews to prison for bilking three women out of nearly $58,000.

“The unifying theme is that he scams women,” said Gerald Franklin, a Santa Barbara County deputy district attorney who successfully prosecuted Mathews in 1977.

As far as the secret to Mathews’ seductive powers, Franklin was mystified. “I don’t know, but it’s plainly not bad breath and a seamy disposition,” he said. “You don’t marry 11 times and behave like a chump or a jerk.”