Who is Anthony Strangis?
When the documentary series “Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.” premiered on Netflix in February 2022, people were shocked by the true story behind the crimes Anthony Strangis and his now ex-wife Sarma Melgailis had committed.
The show revolved around chef Sarma and her vegan restaurant, called Pure Food and Wine, located in New York City, USA. The restaurant was quite successful, and regular guests included Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, and Alec Baldwin, a famous actor.
However, the one who caused trouble in paradise was Sarma’s husband, Anthony Strangis, a mysterious man who claimed to have some miraculous powers.
Early life, family, and education
Anthony Strangis was born on 10 September 1972, in Brockton, Massachusetts USA, where he was raised by both of his parents until they divorced in 1984, after which Anthony lived with his mother and younger sister.
In her interview, his sister McKaila said that he wasn’t bad when he was a young boy, adding that he was a kind and amazing brother, but at some point he changed. Speaking of his educational background, he attended a local high school, but upon matriculating in 1990, he didn’t go to college.
In his 20s, he went to Sarasota, Florida to live with his father, and there he met his future first wife, Stacy Avery. They married after a few months of knowing each other, and when Stacy became pregnant, allegedly Anthony pawned her jewelry and some electronics from her home, and left her.
Stacy said that Anthony would brag that he’d been a Navy SEAL, and that he had a huge inheritance coming – this story was backed up by his father, who is a former police officer. On the other hand, Anthony’s sister and mother claim that this was one of his lies.
Marriage with Sarma Melngailis
Anthony first connected with Sarma via Twitter DM, and they met for the first time in November 2011. Anthony told Sarma that he could make her dog immortal, which allegedly she believed to be true. He also told her that he was connected to mystical forces, that could help her with investors to pour money into her business. The two married on 5 December 2012.
Sarma’s restaurant has been open since 2005, and when they married, she gave him all the powers related to her restaurant, and the money from Sarma’s business started going directly into Anthony’s pocket. Sarma herself transferred over $1.5 million from her business account to her personal account, and most of this money Anthony spent gambling at casinos.
What happened?
In 2015, Anthony and Sarma disappeared after her business went down. They were arrested on 10 May 2016, after hiding in a hotel in Tennessee for 40 days; Anthony ordered a pizza using his identity and this is how police found them. They were accused of stealing over $800,000 from investors, short-changing employees $40,000 in wages, failing to pay more than $400,000 in taxes, a first-degree scheme to defraud, and other crimes.
Sarma accepted a plea deal, and served four months in jail plus five years of probation, while Anthony pleaded guilty to four counts, and was sentenced to one year in prison, and five years of probation.
After serving her sentence, Sarma filed for divorce from Anthony in May 2018.
Where is Anthony Strangis now?
Anthony was released from prison after a year, in May 2017, and went to live with his mother. According to her, he would spend his days in the basement playing video games. His lawyer stated that he uses his name, that he’s moved forward, and that he has a new job. His probation came to end in May 2022.
He choose not to appear in the documentary “Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.” despite the fact that he was ‘the main con-artist’.
Anthony has no social media accounts, at least not under his real name, thus it’s hard to find more information about him.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=694663278323830
According to Vanity Fair, he worked as a bodyguard for Jennifer Van Laar, an investigative journalist, beginning in 2020, and in the following year, when they were in Las Vegas, Nevada with some mutual friends, Anthony and Jennifer married. However, when they returned home, they decided that it was better for both of them if they just stayed friends. She filed for divorce, but they remained on good terms.
According to Anthony’s sister, he showed her his new driver’s license and she noticed that he’d changed his surname. He didn’t tell her that he’d married again.
Interesting facts
He told his first wife that he’d been chased by demons.
Anthony used a false name online, and represented himself as ‘Shane Fox’ or ‘Mr. Fox’.
Sarma’s lawyer named him a ‘complete maniac’, and ‘life-long predator and fraudster’.
While he lived in Florida, Anthony was charged with stealing sports cars and fraudulent activities.
If you’ve wondered how he spent the money he’d stolen, most of it he spent at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, but also a hefty sum at the Mohegan Sun Resort Casino also in Connecticut. He bought Rolex and Beyer watches and spent over $50,000 at hotels across Europe and USA.
During his marriage with Sarma, Anthony would occasionally leave ‘on a mission’, but according to his mother, he would come to her house and play video games.
The documentary “Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives” was nominated for the Hollywood Critics Association Television Award for Best Streaming Docuseries or Non-Fiction Series.
Age, height, and net worth
Anthony’s age is 50 years old. He has black hair and brown eyes, and if you wondered how tall Anthony is, he stands at a height of 5ft 9ins (1.75m) and weighed around 220lbs (100kgs) before losing some weight, and now weighs around 185lbs (85kgs). His most recent photo shows a visible difference in weight.
Currently, there is no info about Anthony’s income, however, according to sources, the average salary for a bodyguard in the US is around $65,000. Anthony’s sister claims that he asked her for money, and that she lent it to him last year, but he still hasn’t paid her back. So as of 2023, all things considered, maybe Anthony’s financial situation isn’t so great, which given his penchant for gambling, is perhaps hardly surprising.
