Sarma Melngailis, the subject of Netflix's Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives, has spoken out against the documentary, accusing the filmmakers of 'mocking' the psychological abuse she allegedly suffered at the hands of her ex-husband, Anthony Strangis.
For those not familiar with Bad Vegan, 49-year-old Melngailis was a New York restauranteur and entrepreneur who pioneered the raw vegan food trend. After starting a relationship with Stragis, she claims she was coerced by him into stealing nearly $2 million from her investors and staff in 2015. The couple was arrested the following year, with Melngailis sentenced to four months in prison. She filed for divorce from Strangis, in 2018, claiming he abused her and had coerced her into the crimes.
The latest in a string go hit 'scammer' documentaries, Bad Vegan has remained in Netflix's global Top 10 since it premiered on 16 March. But this week Melngailis took to Instagram to criticise the show, and the marketing around it.
In her captions she wrote: 'There are more important things going on in the world than the misrepresentation of my story, but I'll continue to speak out in objection to the mocking of psychological abuse by Netflix and the misportrayal of these kinds of stories in general.'
Referencing a advert for the show, she also added: 'Me looking like a glamorized villain eating a cash salad is not me. It may help Netflix sensationalize the story, but at my expense, and at the expense of a greater understanding of the larger issues, including #coercivecontrol #narcissisticabuse #cultmindcontrol and more.'
She then promised: 'I will make my story honest and useful, even if Netflix and [director] Chris Smith did not.'
Melngailis had previously criticised the documentary, saying, 'The ending of Bad Vegan is disturbingly misleading; I am not in touch with Anthony Strangis,' she wrote on her website, adding, 'I didn’t want to marry him, and that part of the story was inaccurately condensed [in the show].'
Netflix has not yet responded to her comments about Bad Vegan.
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