In 2016, the then 43-year-old, on the run for 10 months, was arrested at a hotel in eastern Tennessee; pleaded guilty to grand larceny, criminal tax fraud, scheme to defraud and violation of labour law; served a total of four months behind bars; and was sentenced to five years' probation.
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.
In a recent post to her blog Sarma Raw, the ex-restauranteur criticised the new Netflix documentary and specifically, how it ended. She addressed the circulating rumours about being paid for the docuseries (she wasn't), but clarifies that she insisted any payments be sent to her ex-employees.
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.
Sarma Melngailis has revealed that she finally paid out her wronged former employees with the cash from her new Netflix show, “Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud.
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.
Leon was eventually taken in by Sarma's father John as she spent time in prison. Once she was released, Sarma and Leon were reunited. In March 2022, Leon celebrated his 12th birthday with a cake, and even has his own Instagram account, @oneluckyrescuedog, where Sarma tracks his life and day-to-day activities.
In May 2018 Sarma filed for divorce from her estranged husband [according to Page Six], six months after leaving Rikers. There's very little information on what Strangis is up to now, but we do know from the documentary that the pair still have some contact.
Sarma Melngailis (born September 10, 1972) is an American chef, cookbook author, and businesswoman. She was the owner and co-founder of Pure Food and Wine and One Lucky Duck, both vegan raw food restaurants in New York City.
I won't spoil the plot, but Sarma ends up handing over $1.7 million to Anthony Strangis and leaving the government, her employees, and investors out in the cold to the tune of $6.14 million.
Nazim Seliakhov
He currently resides in New York City and has leaned into his entrepreneurial side, being the founder of a pharmaceutical-grade Industrial Hemp Processing Laboratory. Seliakhov remains private online, with his only public social media profile being his LinkedIn.
Although there is not much known about his current whereabouts, it is known that he is already out of prison and serving the remainder of his probation sentence as a private citizen. According to his lawyer, Karliner, Strangis has a new job, uses his name, and he has moved forward.
'Bad Vegan' got the story right...for the most part. Movies, such as The Theory of Everything, may claim that they're based on true stories, but these movies won't include every detail from the story in the movie.
Today, Susan still runs the orchard by herself.
Susan Jasse continues to own and operate Alyson's Orchard. And although she hasn't appeared on Sarma's Instagram in a while, there's nothing to suggest the two aren't still on good terms.
IS LEON STILL ALIVE? Leon is still alive and well and he actually just celebrated his 12th birthday. Leon even has his own Instagram account: @oneluckyrescuedog.
Clad in black and sporting a noticeable Maltese cross pendant, Anthony Caruana speaks about his personal relationship with Sarma Melngailis, who ran Pure Food and Wine Restaurant in the series 'Bad Vegan: Fame.
Who is Sarma Melngailis? Melngailis is the former owner of and co-founder of the vegan restaurant Pure Food and Wine in New York City, which opened in June 2004.
As a vegan, her access to food was limited, and she lived off the fast food chain's veggie bowls. When the police arrested the pair, they were taken in to a Tennessee county jail before being sent back to New York, where Sarma gathered enough money to make bail before trial.
Sarma' attorneys were reported by Vanity Fair to be planning a “coercive control” defense. 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 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.
Anthony Strangis (@anthony_strangis) • Instagram photos and videos.
When did Sarma Melngailis get married? Melngailis and Strangis married in secret on Dec. 5, 2012, and Melngailis alleged in Bad Vegan that this was a result of Strangis' coercive control over her—and that he told her that if they got married, it would be easier for her to transfer money to him.
Leon recently celebrated his 12th birthday with Melngailis, who filled us in on what's going on with her beloved dog these days.
Though Sarma Melngailis, the vegan behind the once raw, vegan fine dining powerhouse Pure Food and Wine, was drawn into an alternate reality based on the stories of Anthony Strangis, her boyfriend turned husband, her life didn't exactly become less complicated after she left Riker's Island.
Yes, the Bad Vegan star's beloved pit bull is still very much alive and well. Sarma Melgnailis' ex-husband Anthony Strangis may not have actually been able to make her dog Leon immortal, but after the events of Netflix's Bad Vegan, her beloved pit bull is still very much alive and well.