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Vandita Agrawal

Netflix’s docuseries Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives. profiles the rise and fall of Sarma Melngailis, the famous Manhattan raw vegan restaurateur who rubbed shoulders with celebrities like Alec Baldwin, Rooney Mara, Chelsea Clinton, Owen Wilson and Anne Hathaway in the early 2000s.

The show also focuses on Melngailis’ relationship with her now ex-husband Anthony Strangis, a junk-food-loving gambler who, according to Vanity Fair, she says “cast a spell on her”. While Melngailis agreed to appear on the Netflix show, Strangis chose to dodge the limelight.
So what do we know about the con artist? What is he doing now? What does he think about the hit show? Let’s find out …
He’s got a history of lying and has a criminal past

According to Bustle, Strangis is a career criminal who used a multitude of aliases to con unsuspecting people. Stacey Avery, Strangis’ ex-wife, claimed that after she became pregnant, he pawned her jewellery and gadgets – which Strangis’ lawyer, however, denies. She also claimed that he told her that there were demons after him, then abandoned her and their child randomly one day.
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Before meeting Melngailis, Strangis was charged for fraudulent activities, including impersonating a police officer and stealing a sports car in Florida, which led to a grand theft charge.

When he met Melngailis, he hid his identity and told her he was Shane Fox. Her lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman accused him of being a “complete maniac” and a “lifelong predator and fraudster”, per the New York Post.
In March 2017, Strangis pleaded guilty to four counts of fourth-degree grand larceny and was sentenced to one year in jail and five years of probation.
From a fraudulent disgrace to turning over a new leaf

In May 2018, Melngailis filed for divorce from Strangis and they are no longer in touch. In fact, she told Vanity Fair that she’s rather terrified of him.
“The idea of actually seeing him is terrifying. I still get a jolt of panic now and then when I see a big guy with the same sort of wide build from afar and worry for a second it’s him. I still sometimes have nightmares about him,” she said.
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Though not much is known about his current whereabouts, Strangis reached out to E! News via his lawyer Sam Karliner after Bad Vegan created lots of buzz. On being asked whether Strangis actually watched the show, Karliner said, “He’s gone on to live his life. He’s got a job, uses his name, this is behind him, and she’s behind him”, reported Bustle. He didn’t want to get involved with the documentary because he’s moved forward, per E! News. “He pled guilty to it, he owned up to it, and he did it long before Sarma did. His case was resolved probably close to a year before Sarma’s was.”
Strangis’ probation it set to come to an end in May 2022.
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Where is Anthony Strangis of Netflix’s Bad Vegan now? The ex-husband of Sarma Melngailis, aka himself Shane Fox, has a con artist past but might be turning over a new leaf

Learn more about the con-artist Anthony Strangis. Photos: Courtesy of Netflix, @Heretowherenow/Twitter

Mugshots of formerly married couple Anthony Strangis and Sarma Melngailis. Photo: Netflix

Anthony Strangis has a criminal past and a history of lying under aliases. Photo: @zacharybell/Twitter

Anthony Strangis went under the fake name of Shane Fox when he met his to-be wife Sarma Melngailis. Photo: @TomSullBolton1/Twitter

Formerly married, Anthony Strangis and Sarma Melngailis are no longer in touch. Photo: @ValidNewsToday/Twitter

Anthony Strangis and Sarma Melngailis scammed their investors and workers. Photo: @anthonystrangisofficial/Instagram

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Strangis chose not to appear in Netflix’s docuseries with his ex-wife, who used to know celebs like Anne Hathaway, Alec Baldwin, Chelsea Clinton and Owen Wilson
Although his whereabouts are unknown, his lawyer Sam Karliner said that ‘he’s pled guilty and owned up to the crimes long before Melngailis’ and now has a job


Netflix’s Bad Vegan outlines the couple’s swindle – but we only know Melngailis’ side, so what about Strangis’, and what is he doing now?
