Netflix Docuseries Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives Subject Sarma Melngailis claimed she emptied her once-thriving restaurants for her then-husband Anthony Strangis, whom she accused of manipulating and defrauding her. Strangis, whom she met as Shane Fox, is currently a free man and his probation is ending soon.
Anthony Strangis met Sarma Melngailis as Shane Fox
As documented in Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives, vegan chef Sarma Melngailis met Anthony Strangis, who identified himself as Shane Fox at the time, through his interactions on Twitter with actor and frequent client Alec Baldwin.
The two hit it off and started dating, secretly marrying in early 2012. According to the famed restaurateur, he took control of her by convincing her he could make her dog immortal and get her into a society that would bless her with wealth.
Consequently, she agreed to wire him some cash, eventually gutting his raw fine-dining establishment Pure Food and Wine and its subsidiary, One Lucky Duck Juice, and Takeaway.
In the first two years of their relationship, she sent him nearly $2 million.
He spent a year in prison for grand larceny
Due to the theft of the couple's money from the company's bank account, Melngaillis was unable to make payroll, forcing his staff to stage a public outing. It raised funds to reopen briefly but failed to pay its employees and investors again, prompting another walkout and possible permanent closure of its restaurants.
After grabbing $6 million, the couple left town and spent time in Las Vegas before his Domino's pizza led to their capture in May 2016 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
In March 2017, Strangis pleaded guilty to four counts of grand larceny in the fourth degree. He was released from prison in May 2017 after serving the full year in prison awaiting trial.
On the other hand, Melngailis posted bail and fought his case on the outside. She eventually entered a plea deal for fraud conspiracy and criminal tax evasion and served four months in prison for her crimes.
Strangis' probation ends soon; was he ever in the army?
After his release, Strangis was sentenced to a five-year probation term that will end in May 2023. A year after his release from prison, the vegan chef filed for divorce from her husband, ending their six-year marriage. .
22 months after his release, the two spoke on the phone, included at the end of the docuseries, and Melngailis told him about Strangis' many lies throughout their relationship.
For example, he claimed that he was not human and referred to his earthly body as a suit of meat, especially when he gained weight. He also claimed he could support his dog forever and promised he had access to a company that would cover his debt and anything they send him. In the documentary, Melngailis and his ex-wife believed that Strangis had served in the army because he allegedly asked his father to validate his stories.
Moreover, he would explain his long absences by claiming that he had spent time with covert operations. She also believed him while noting that she could not identify her occupation due to her heavily password-protected computer. However, it appears that he never served in the military or with the Navy Seals. Bad vegan: fame. Fraud. Fugitives is streaming on Netflix.
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