Following the success of Inventing Anna and The Tinder Swindler, Netflix has released a brand new scammer-based series Bad Vegan which tells the shocking story of how celebrity restaurateur Sarma Melngailis went from being the queen of vegan cuisine to a fugitive after she fell for a conman who promised to make her dreams come true.
MORE: Bad Vegan: viewers are saying same thing about Netflix documentary
But where is the infamous man at the centre of the story Anthony Strangis now? Here's what we know…
WATCH: Have you checked out the documentary yet?
Who is Anthony Strangis?
The founder of New York hotspot Pure Food and Wine, Sarma Melngailis went from being one of the hottest names on the vegan food scene to a wanted woman in 2011 after she fell for and married a man named Anthony Strangis, who was then going by the alias Shane Fox.
© Photo: NetflixAnthony used the alias Shane Fox during his time with Sarma
The two struck up a friendship and then a romance after meeting on Twitter, and it wasn't long until Anthony started getting involved in Sarma's food business. After promising that he could make both her and her dog immortal (yes, really), Anthony began demanding that Sarma wire him huge sums of money as a test of her trust.
MORE: 7 best crime documentaries on Netflix that are a must-watch
MORE: Inventing Anna: major update after real-life Anna Delvey reportedly deported to Germany
What happened to Anthony Strangis?
In 2015, the couple went on the run together after stealing nearly $2m (£1.5m) from the restaurant and its staff. They also owed the government $400,000 (£300,000) in taxes.
However, in an ironic twist, Sarma and Anthony were eventually found hiding out in a Tennessee motel by authorities after Anthony made the mistake of ordering a decidedly non-vegan Domino's pizza under his real name.
© Photo: NetflixSarma owned the star-studded vegan New York hotspot Pure
After the pair were arrested, they were sent to Rikers Island in New York – the very same prison where Anna Sorokin served her sentence. Between the two of them, Sarma and Anthony faced charges including second-degree grand larceny, second-degree criminal tax fraud, and first-degree scheme to defraud and faced up to 15 years in prison if found guilty.
Where is Anthony Strangis now?
While Sarma was bailed out after her father paid her six-figure bail, no one paid for Anthony's bail, and he remained in prison for more than a year until their trial in 2017. In court, both of them took pleas deals and admitted that they stole from investors, failed to pay sales tax and shortchanged Sarma's employees in exchange for shorter sentences.
© Photo: NetflixSarma and Anthony both took plea deals which reduced their sentences
MORE: The Tinder Swindler: Where is Simon Leviev now?
In the end, Sarma served four months in Rikers and was given an additional five years of probation while Anthony, because he had already spent 12 months in prison, was able to also walk out of court without having to spend any extra time behind bars. He was also sentenced to five years of probation.
At the moment, if Anthony does not commit any further crimes his probation should come to an end in May 2022 meaning that in just a few months' time, he will be a free man.
