Netflix’s new true crime story Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives just dropped, and it’s already getting plenty of buzz. The story follows the rise and fall of Sarma Melngailis, a famous New York City restaurateur and owner of celebrity hotspot Pure Food and Wine.
The documentary explains how Sarma fell in love with a man named Anthony Strangis, married him, and was allegedly subject to psychological abuse and blackmail. Sarma and Anthony ended up swindling approximately $2 million from her employees and investors and went on the run for a year before being caught by authorities when they ordered a non-vegan Domino's pizza from a Tennessee motel.
The story is wild and has some seriously surprising twists and turns. But who is Anthony Strangis, exactly? Here’s what you need to know.
He met Sarma on Twitter.
Details are a little hazy. But apparently, Anthony met his future wife on Twitter around 2011. They started dating soon after and got married not that long after, according to The Sun. This was his second marriage—and he also has a son from his previous relationship, according to The Sun.
He reportedly abused Sarma.
Anthony, who is also known as Shane Fox, was accused in court by Sarma’s lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman of being a “complete maniac.”
“She was badly abused and controlled by a lifelong predator and fraudster,” Lichtman said, per the New York Post.
Bad Vegan's executive producer Ryann Fraser told Women's Health there was no doubt in her mind that Anthony abused Sarma. "I absolutely think he gaslit her. I think it was mental abuse, verbal. Many types of abuse. I mean, it's it's pretty extensive. And it's horrible," she said.
Sarma Melngailis’ ex-husband has a criminal past and was sentenced to five years probation.
He promised to make Sarma and her dog immortal.
Sarma is famously in love with her dog, Leon. And Anthony convinced her that he could make Sarma and Leon immortal if she did whatever he said.
A Vanity Fair article detailed how Anthony once told Sarma that he and his brother were always watching her and if she didn’t pass “tests” he set up for her, he would come after her. Anthony also allegedly told Sarma that Leon had been his dog in a previous life and if she did as he said, “Leon would also be immortal and safe to be by my side for eternity,” per Sarma.
He has a criminal past.
Anthony had been in trouble with the law before he met Sarma, according to People: He was arrested on charges of grand theft and impersonating a police officer.
The series' director Chris Smith told WH that Anthony was the driving force behind the scam—not Sarma. She didn't even really want to marry him, he explained: "She had talked to her accountant about could he [Anthony] transfer this money to her? And the accountant said, 'Well, why don't you marry him?'" he said. "Then, they went and got the marriage certificate."
Smith added that "Sarma herself, we do not believe would have ever ended up resorting to criminal behavior on her own. She was a person that was very dedicated to this restaurant and its success and under a lot of stress and pressure trying to make that work."
"If Anthony had not come into her life, we just think there's no way anything like this would have happened."
He went to jail on a slew of charges.
In 2017, Anthony pleaded guilty to charges of grand larceny, criminal tax fraud, and a scheme to defraud, according to The Sun. He was sentenced to five years’ probation for stealing $1 million from investors and employees of Sarma’s restaurant. Before that, he served a year in jail on Riker’s Island.
He’s no longer married to Sarma.
Sarma filed for divorce from Anthony in May 2018, the New York Post reports.
Smith and Fraser both mentioned that Anthony hasn't contacted them since Bad Vegan was released. And Sarma wrote on her website that she's no longer in contact with him.
Korin Miller
Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.
FAQs
Strangis was released from Rikers Island in May 2017. His probation, a sentence of five years, was transferred to Massachusetts, where he went to live with his mother.
Did Sarma get paid for Bad Vegan? ›
For much of the past five years, since she got out of prison, Melngailis has lived in Somerville, Massachusetts, with Leon, in debt. She received only about $75,000 for her participation in the show, she says, just enough to pay back wages to her employees.
Where is Anthony Strangis today? ›
He is still serving his probation period in Massachusetts, his home state. Strangis declined to comment in the Netflix docuseries.
How does Alec Baldwin know Anthony Strangis? ›
After her breakup and without Baldwin to move on with, Melngailis eventually found herself talking to Anthony Strangis, who she knew as Shane Fox at the time. To Melngailis, it appeared that "Mr. Fox" and Baldwin knew each other because they would have short, quippy conversations on Twitter.
Does Sarma have autism? ›
Restaurateur and subject of the Netflix docuseries 'Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives', Sarma Melngailis reveals autism diagnosis at age 51. She also opens up about her mental health struggles.
Is Sarma still talking to Anthony Strangis? ›
After the series debuted, Melngailis asserted that she is absolutely not in touch with Strangis. “The ending of Bad Vegan is disturbingly misleading; I am not in touch with Anthony Strangis and I made those recordings at a much earlier time, deliberately, for a specific reason,” she wrote in a March 16 blog post.
Did Netflix pay Sarmas debt? ›
She continued, "In my case, however, and at my insistence, the producers made an exception so that I could pay the total amount my former employees were owed — amounts that accrued after my disappearance in 2015."
What is Sarma Melngailis doing now? ›
Melngailis lives in the Harlem neighborhood of New York and is active on social media — a recent Instagram post from Dec. 24, 2022, features a photo with her dog, Leon. “Having Leon around me is extremely grounding,” she told the Netflix website Tudum earlier this year.
Did Sarma date Alec Baldwin? ›
Alec Baldwin visited the restaurant numerous times, according to the film, and even met his wife Hilaria Baldwin there. In the first episode of the series, owner Sarma Melngailis reveals she first shared a connection with the actor while he was single, but she was not.
Is Anthony Strangis a Navy SEAL? ›
Before Melngailis, Strangis in 2004 met a Tampa, Florida, woman named Stacy, and three months after they started dating, they got hitched in Las Vegas. Stacy cites “a ton” of his lies, including a claim he was a Navy SEAL. The two had a baby boy, whom Stacy says Strangis hinted at killing.
Personal life. Ralph currently resides in the Coachella Valley in California where he continues to freelance as an NHL play-by-play broadcaster and work as a consultant, advisor, talent coach, trainer, corporate lecturer and emcee, writer, actor and educator. Ralph is divorced and has one daughter.
What did Anthony Strangis actually do? ›
Strangis and Melngailis were on the lam around 2015. They allegedly failed to pay staff and investors and were wanted for fraud and violation of labor law. The couple was eventually found in a Tennessee motel thanks to a decidedly non-vegan Domino's pizza delivery order.
Is Alec Baldwin a vegan? ›
In 2002 he made several guest appearances in Friends and also starred in Tina Fey's 30 Rock. He has won a multitude of awards for his performances, including three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe awards and seven Screen Actors Guild Awards. Alec went vegan in 2011 for both ethical reasons and health reasons.
Is Hilaria Baldwin vegan? ›
Baldwin is a pescetarian.
Did Alec Baldwin attend funeral? ›
Alec Baldwin attended a private memorial Friday night for the 42-year-old cinematographer the actor accidentally shot with a prop gun, according to a report. Halyna Hutchins' husband and son attended the service in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which included grief counselors on the scene, Showbiz 411 reported.
Did Anthony from Bad Vegan go to jail? ›
Strangis spent a year in Rikers Prison whilst on remand before being put on probation after his sentencing.
Did Sarma divorce Anthony? ›
Is Sarma still married? Melngailis and Strangis are not together. She filed for divorce in May 2018 after being released from prison—but according to police, their problems started before they were apprehended.
What is Sharma doing now? ›
What is Sarma working on now? According to her Instagram, Sarma spends a lot of her time reading and hanging out with her dog Leon at her NYC home. She also seems to be working projects where she can continue to tell her story, judging by a post where she was recording a podcast three weeks ago.
