Naman Shrestha
In the episode titled ‘Surviving Strangis’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Toxic,’ the primary focus is on the conman, Anthony Strangis, whose fraudulent past is under scrutiny. The documentary explores his life and criminal past in a detailed manner, while also chronicling his relationship and marriage with Sarma Melngailis, a renowned restaurateur in New York. As the authorities zeroed in on the couple, they tried their best not to face the consequences of their fraudulent activities.
Anthony Strangis, AKA Shane Fox, Defrauded His Wife of Nearly $2 Million
Born to Patricia Strangis, Anthony Strangis got into gambling at an early age as his father, a Brockton, Massachusetts policeman, used to gamble in his presence. As per Patricia, her husband even violently threatened her with a gun when she tried to part ways with him. Anthony was in his 20s when he moved in with his father in his Florida house. While living there, he crossed paths with his first wife, Stacy. In order to impress her, he claimed that he was a former Navy SEAL officer and had a huge inheritance to his name. After his marriage to Stacy ended in a divorce, he assumed the identity of Shane Fox and met New York vegan restaurateur, Sarma Melngailis, via Twitter.
In 2011, the two finally met in person after months of texting and phone calls. They formed an instant romantic connection, which led Anthony to regularly visit Sarma’s restaurant, Pure Food and Wine. Soon, he told her about his criminal past and claimed that he was a former Navy SEAL, but was working for the black ops at the time. His previous convictions involved impersonating a police officer and stealing a sports car in Florida. In spite of knowing details of his past, Sarma tied the knot with Anthony in December 2012. By convincing her that he had been working for the US government, he was able to extract nearly $1,6 million from her between 2012 and 2014. Instead of spending it on his protection as he claimed, he spent it on casinos and leading an extravagant life.
Anthony also used an alias of Will Richards to get access to Sarma’s private information and details. Soon, Sarma was forced to close her restaurant as she could not afford to pay her staff and landlord anymore. When the restaurant’s investors informed the authorities of the situation, the married couple was charged with fraud for not only stealing more than $1 million, including $844,000 from four investors, but also violating labor laws. Facing up to 15 years in prison, Anthony and Sarma went on the run for several months. Both were wanted for grand larceny, scheme to defraud, and violation of labor law. In addition, the latter also faced charges for criminal tax fraud. Finally, on May 12, 2016, the authorities arrested the couple at a hotel in Sevierville, Tennessee, when Anthony ordered a pizza from Domino’s.
Anthony Strangis Was Brought to Justice Alongside His Then-Wife
While Sarma Melnagailis pleaded guilty in May 2017, Anthony Strangis followed suit and took a plea deal in the same year. He reportedly pleaded guilty to four counts of grand larceny in the fourth degree. The former was sentenced to four months in prison for the charges against her, as well as an additional five months of probation. On the other hand, he was sentenced to one year in prison, followed by five years of probation. On top of that, he was also ordered to pay $840,000 in restitution.
For their fraud, they both served their respective sentences in Rikers Island. Eventually, in May 2018, Anthony and Sarma got divorced and parted ways. After he was done serving his sentence, he was warned that he ran the risk of serving another five-to-15 years on grand larceny charges if he violated his probation. From what we can tell, he has served his probation and prefers to stay away from the limelight, while seemingly residing in Massachusetts.
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