If you’re a vegan, you’ve probably heard of Bad Vegan: Fame, Fraud, and Fugitives, a Netflix docuseries about vegan restaurateur Sarma Melngailis. The documentary follows the woman’s story, which includes illegally transferring money to her husband so that he could pay a deity to bestow immortality.
Sarma Melngailis
Sarma Melngailis has a complicated past. She is the co-founder and former owner of a vegan restaurant in New York City. She has also been arrested several times, most recently for grand larceny and tax fraud. She has been in jail for four months, but a court case is pending.
The show has drawn many people to Sarma’s story. Her story is shocking enough that she has made several payments to wronged former employees. Despite that, she has continued to embezzle millions of dollars from her restaurant. While the series has been gaining attention online, she has expressed her dissatisfaction.
Her relationship with Anthony Strangis
In the film Bad Vegan, director Chris Smith makes a point of showing how a relationship between a woman and a predator could develop. In the trailer for the film, Strangis tries to blackmail Melngailis by offering her immortality – not only for her, but also for her pet dog.
The relationship between Strangis and Melngailis has a complicated history. Strangis is a man whose criminal past has landed him in trouble with the law. He owes restitution for a crime that was widely publicized, and he owes over $20 million in federal tax liens. Melngailis, however, was introduced to Strangis through the tweets of actor Alec Baldwin.
Her career as a raw food chef
The Bad Vegan’s career as a raw food chef is marred by scandal. The documentary chronicles the misfortunes of Sarma Melngailis, a vegan chef who once owned a chain of popular restaurants. She and her husband, Anthony Strangis, bilked employees and investors out of millions of dollars. In May 2016, they were caught red-handed. The documentary is based on interviews conducted by former employees of the restaurant. These employees include Bonnie Crocker, who was the restaurant’s manager.
The film explores how Melngailis was manipulated by Strangis. She claims she met Strangis under the pseudonym “Shane Fox” on Twitter and was persuaded to hand over her bank account information. Strangis told her that she would be returned the money she owed him.
Her restaurant’s history
Netflix has a new documentary about a vegan restaurant that has a notorious history. The film is titled Bad Vegan and will premiere on March 16th. It is based on the true story of former vegan restauranteur Sarma Melngailis. Sarma opened the popular Pure Food and Wine restaurant in 2005, which attracted celebrities and A-listers alike. However, Melngailis is accused of fraud, grand theft, and violating labor rules, which led to the restaurant’s closure. In addition, she allegedly married a conman who called himself Shane Fox, who was convicted of forcing her to steal money from the restaurant.
The owner of the restaurant, Sarma Melngailis, lied about her restaurant’s history for years. She was forced to take a plea deal with a government agent, and she was sentenced to 14 years in prison. But she is still alive.
Her descent into madness
‘Bad Vegan’ is a riveting, gripping tale about a disgraced New York restaurant owner who is accused of stealing millions of dollars from her employees. While this may sound like a typical tale about a crooked businesswoman, it shows that even the most successful companies can be poisoned from within. Will Smith portrays the entrepreneur with an interesting distance, leaving the viewer to decide whether they should feel sympathy for her or disgusted with her.
While the film is entertaining, it fails to capture the true scale of Melngailis’ derangement. She becomes a partner of the serial conman Anthony Strangis, a man with a murky past. Together, they defrauded Pure Food & Wine shareholders of millions of dollars. Ultimately, Melngailis and Strangis are both charged with larceny and fraud.
