Fox managed to manipulate her enough for her to believe that her life and her dog, Leon's life were in danger if she did not do as he said.
Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives is the new Netflix crime docuseries joining the fascinating line-up on the streaming site. It follows the story of how a vegan restaurateur Sarma Melngailis illegally transferred money to her husband so he could pay a deity to bestow immortality upon them. The four-part series was directed by Chris Smith joining the likes of Tiger King, The Tinder Swindler in terms of the shock value of the crime.
The show premiered on March 16, 2022, and is already becoming a notable series. Here's what you need to know about the show:
Sarma Melngailis was once the queen of vegan food. 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. The docu-series captures the rise and fall of this culinary entrepreneur. The first episode provides background to who Melngailis is and the situation leading up to her meeting with partner Anthony Strangis aka Shane Fox, her connection to celebrity chef, author, and speaker Matthew Kenney and Alec Baldwin. We then delve into how she ended up in a situation of financial ruin. Melngailis's fall from grace happened in 2015 when the employees from her restaurant walked out due to non-payment of wages. It led to the shutting down of the restaurant and the cause was attributed to bad financial decisions.
During the good times, Melngailis was a friend of Baldwin's and ended up adopting a dog in search of one for the actor when he confided in her about being lonely. The dog, whom she named Leon, soon became an integral part of her life. She met Fox online and because he was connected with Baldwin on Twitter, decided to entertain his advances. He told her that he was a part of the US Army. But a quick Google search proved otherwise and Anthony Strangis was listed as a criminal.
When he thought Melngailis was losing trust in him, Fox went all out to build his credibility including enticing her with Tiffany jewelry, buying property, and even introducing her to his dad. He then started telling her stories about how he was a “non-human” and that the body he inhabited was just a vessel. He claimed that because of this he could make her rich and powerful. He also promised that he could make Leon immortal. He managed to manipulate her enough for her to believe that her life and Leon's life were in danger if she did not send him the money he asked for. Even though she was in financial ruin, he convinced her to direct funds from her business to him.
Melngailis met Fox at a very unfortunate when she was feeling vulnerable due to the struggles in her personal life. Especially after her relationship with Kenney ended and her restaurant was going under. She was desperate and Fox provided a source of hope during her dark times. He knew all of Melngailis' weaknesses and took advantage of them. After embezzling the money, the two were wanted for grand larceny, scheme to defraud, and violation of labor law. They were caught after ordering a Domino's pizza. They were accused of stealing $844,000 from four investors, failing to pay $400,000 in taxes, and shortchanging employees $40,000 in wages. She pleaded guilty to stealing from the investors, scheming to defraud, as well as criminal tax fraud charges.
Fox denied that there was any coercion in the relationship and later also pleaded guilty. He got off much easier than Melngailis at the end of the day.
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