Strangis – who was also known as Shane Fox – was sentenced to five years' probation after stealing nearly $1 million from investors and Pure Food and Wine employees, and spent over a year in prison whilst on remand.
Strangis and Melngailis wound up embezzling close to $2 million from employees and investors, the Deseret News reported. After going into hiding for 10 months, they were eventually arrested in 2016, according to Marie Claire.
He was sentenced to one year in jail and five years probation. He was also required to pay $840,000 in restitution, reports Bustle. Melngailis accepted a plea deal and served four months in prison and received five months probation. In total, Strangis spent one year and three days incarcerated in Rikers Island.
In 2017, Melngailis took a plea deal and plead guilty to larceny, tax fraud, and conspiring to defraud. As part of the deal, she served four months in prison later that year. As for Strangis, the scammer pled guilty to four counts of grand larceny and was sentenced to one year in jail and five years probation.
"Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives." is a four-part docu-series following the criminal case of Sarma Melngailis, co-founder of celebrity-favorite Pure Food and Wine as well as the "it" girl of New York's early-aughts food scene.
Sheila O'Leary, 38, whose family followed a strict vegan diet, was convicted in June on six charges — first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter, child abuse and two counts of child neglect — in the death of Ezra O'Leary.
A vegan woman from Florida was sentenced to life in prison on Monday following the death of her 18-month-old son from malnutrition. Sheila O'Leary, 38, was convicted of six charges in June: first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter, child abuse and two counts of child neglect.
She Paid Her Employees With Netflix Money
However once the docuseries was finalized, Netflix execs decided to pay the balance of Sarma's substantial debt.
Sarma Melngailis Used Money from 'Bad Vegan' to Repay Former Employees: 'I Did Not Get Paid Otherwise' Sarma Melngailis' earnings from Netflix's Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud.
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.
He's got a history of lying and has a criminal past
According to Bustle, Strangis is a career criminal who used a multitude of aliases to con unsuspecting people. Stacey Avery, Strangis' ex-wife, claimed that after she became pregnant, he pawned her jewellery and gadgets – which Strangis' lawyer, however, denies.
Sarma Melngailis' ex-husband Anthony Strangis was a main "character" in Bad Vegan, the Netflix documentary series about the disgraced restaurateur's epic downfall from high-end plant-based food favorite to ex-con.
Who Is Anthony Caruana, The Friendly Homeless Dude Wearing A Maltese Cross In Netflix's New 'Bad Vegan'?
According to The Tab, Strangis spent close to $1 million at Foxwoods Resort Casino, over $200,000 at Mohegan Sun Resort Casino, over $80,000 on watches, $70,000 on hotels and $10,000 on car rides, among other expenses.
They said: "The inclusion of the last phone call isn't to imply that Sarma and Anthony were still close. The call is dated "22 Months After Prison"—and Anthony clearly says at the end of the call "it was nice to hear your voice"—which we feel shows that communication between them is not common.
Anthony Strangis allegedly put Sarma MeIngailis through "cosmic endurance tests" that drained her bank accounts and ruined the success of her popular vegan restaurants. Vegan restaurant owner Sarma MeIngailis gave millions away to her gambler husband Anthony Strangis.
Sarma is the author of two books.
Sarma wrote two books: Raw Food Real World and Living Raw Food.
In the Bad Vegan documentary, we find out that Sarma didn't pay the Pure Food and Wine employees for five months, leaving them with $40,000 of back pay. But luckily, the former restaurant workers have now gotten paid.
According to outlets, she has a net worth of US$1.5 million dollars when she went to prison. It is known that she owed investors, employees and others to the tune of US$6 million dollars.
After her arrest, Sarma's prosperous business was shut down, leaving her in debt. Sarma's net worth was close to $1.5 million when she went to prison. According to the show, she now owes over $6 million to her investors, employees, and others.
Netflix's 'Bad Vegan' Is The Bizarrely True Story Of Con Artist Sarma Melngailis.
Anthony and Sarma's case went to court. Sarma pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four months on Rikers Island, while Anthony was sentenced to a year in prison and five years' probation. His sentence ends in 2022.
She has three children with her first husband. She re-married on December 4, 2021, following a courtship of nine and a half years. Diekmeyer has also voiced negative views on circumcision, calling it child abuse.
Isabel Lucas (born 29 January 1985) is an Australian actress, model and environmentalist.