Sarma Melngailis

Sarma Melngailis is an American chef, cookbook author, businesswoman and convicted criminal. She was the owner and co-founder of Pure Food and Wine and One Lucky Duck, both vegan raw food restaurants in New York City. Melngailis' restaurant appeared in New York Magazine's Top 100 Restaurants round up, and made it into Forbes' list of All Star New York Eateries for five consecutive years. Both businesses closed in 2016 after staff walked out over unpaid wages. After fleeing New York with husband Anthony Strangis, Melngailis was tracked down in Tennessee and arrested in 2016. She pleaded guilty in 2017 to grand larceny, scheming to defraud, and criminal tax fraud. She admitted stealing over $2 million from investors and employees. She spent nearly four months in jail.

Across 1 conversation, Sarma Melngailis ranges across government subsidies, fraud, sociopathy. Sarma Melngailis served four months at Rikers Island after pleading guilty to stealing over $2 million. Rikers Island's annual cost per prisoner is $400,000-$500,000, highlighting inefficiencies in the justice system.

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