The latest Netflix movie has arrived. Titled "Bad Vegan": fame. Deception. The four-part documentary chronicles the relationship between Sarma Merngailis, former owner of the New York vegan restaurant Pure Food & Wine, and con man Anthony Strangis. During the course of their relationship, Merngailis wired over $1 million to Strangis, while the restaurant's rent and salaries remained unpaid. Strangis insisted that he could fulfill all of Merngailis' dreams, including making her dog immortal. Eventually, the couple left New York and spent 10 months under false names, hiding from the police.

This new dispatch from "Spring of Deceit" has everything to keep viewers hooked, from testimonials from Melngailis' family and employees to surprising celebrity tidbits and regular updates on their adorable puppy Leon. Melngailis himself is part of the documentary, leaving many fans wondering how the former restaurant owner is now being fired. Here is everything we know about where the titular bad vegan is now.

In 2017, Melngailis accepted a plea deal and pleaded guilty to theft, tax fraud, and conspiracy to defraud. As part of the deal, she served four months in prison later that year.

As for Stranges, the con artist pleaded guilty to four counts of grand theft and was sentenced to one year in prison and five years of probation. He also had to pay $840,000 in restitution to investors. After serving his sentence, Melngailis filed for divorce.

A large portion of Bad Vegan is devoted to hearing about Melngailis and Stranges from employees who worked at Pure Food and Wine during their marriage. Melngailis writes on his website (opens in new tab) that in exchange for the materials and images he provided for this documentary, he received a fee to pay an attorney representing the employees.

"I am relieved that this payment has been made, but that is only part of the loose ends. In any event, I want to make it clear that we will continue to work to address all issues," she writes.

She also writes that she has not profited from "Bad Vegan" other than the back pay she claimed on her income taxes. Netflix and/or the producers can confirm this." Anyone who has been the subject of a reputable documentary or works in the industry can confirm the standard practice of not paying subjects," she writes.

According to her Instagram (opens in new tab), Thurma spends much of her time at home in New York City reading and spending time with her dog Leon. She also seems to be working on a project that will allow her to continue telling her story, judging by a post she made three weeks ago recording a podcast (opens in new tab).

The raw food enthusiast also said in a 2019 interview with the New York Post (opens in new tab) that she is willing to open another restaurant. I think New York will bring me back," she said.

In a recent post on her website titled "About Bad Vegan - Part 1," Melngailis shared her thoughts on what she thinks is wrong with the documentary, specifically that she did not run away voluntarily with Stranges and did not want to marry him She claimed.

"While the early tabloids got the initial information and much of the story has taken hold, I was not 'on the run' in 2015 as those accounts state, or at least not 'on the run' to my knowledge," she claimed. 'I didn't know what funds Anthony had at the time, and I no longer had access to his electronic devices or email/texting accounts. But most of what I am saying is verifiable. I also feel it is important to point out that of the last money I collected, over 90% was used to reopen and pay for the restaurant. The idea that I did all that to run away with a man I hated and feared makes no sense. I did not want to marry him and that part was inaccurately condensed."

She added 'I have not been in contact with Anthony Strangis, and that recording was done at an earlier time, deliberately, and for a specific reason.' There are a lot of things that are right in Bad Vegan, but it's hard not to get caught up in things that aren't right or give the impression of being inaccurate. I hope to clarify more later."

In response to Newsweek, directors Chris Smith and Ryan Fraser said: "The inclusion of the final phone call is not meant to imply that Salma and Anthony were still close. In this call, we found that Salma was confident, strong, and made fun of the narrative that Anthony spun, telling him that he would have to show up on a unicorn (meaning there would be no reconciliation) in order for there to be a reconciliation."[4

In a March blog post, Melngailis introduced a letter she says she wrote to Stranges, whom she calls "Mr. Fox." In it she wrote: [The restaurant, the brand, my home, my business, my employees, my clients, my clothes, my papers, my files, my photos, even my things, are all gone. And my integrity. And the most frightening thing to me is my independence.

"Everything that was lost has been replaced by something awful that makes me feel really bad. I have suffered terrible humiliation, both publicly and privately. It is my fault for opening the door and letting you in. It is my fault. My mother (what you did to my mother.) ), many other good people, and my own employees were hurt... It's my fault. My fault. I have to live with that. Can you imagine how that feels? Shame and responsibility are both alien concepts to you.

"Recently some well-meaning people said to me, 'You know what? Maybe you are desperate to find something positive. Are you serious? Are you serious? It's a terrible disgrace. Legally, tax-wise, logistically, it sucks. I have a huge pile of debt. When you found me, I had debts, but they were manageable. The point is, I had assets, a future, and a promise. I had many favors built up over the years. I had friends who worked hard for our future. That is no longer the case. The giant elephant of debt and ruin is on top of me. Because of you."

Leon is not immortal, but the pup is alive and well, having just celebrated his 12th birthday (open in new tab) last March. He is a regular on Melngailis's Instagram, with many photos of Leon reading nonfiction books, and has his own Instagram, @oneluckyrescuedog (opens in new tab), run by Melngailis.

In an interview with the Netflix website Tudum (opens in new tab), Melngailis shared that Leon recently recovered from surgery due to a hematoma and explained how the puppy is helping her stay grounded.

"Having Leon around me helps ground me immensely. When I'm worried or upset, I can hug Leon's face, look him in the eye and say, 'It's okay,' and he calms me down. In effect, I am reassuring myself. Some dogs get anxious when their guardians go out, but in our case it's the opposite. I'm the one who gets anxious when Leon leaves," she said.

Watch "Bad Vegan" on Netflix (opens in new tab)