Melngailis declined to comment for this article, and her attorney, Cesar de Castro, did not return messages left by The Daily Beast.

Restaurants fail. It doesnt make it criminal. Were looking forward to the real facts coming out, de Castro told a Beast reporter in court last month.

But how Melngailis descended from raw royalty to the bride of a portly poker player is baffling to her friends who spoke to The Daily Beast. They question what she saw in the gambler, whose criminal record includes an arrest for falsely impersonating a police officer in Florida. (That charge was later dropped, online courtrecords reveal.)

He does not fit the profile of someone shes into, said Porochista Khakpour, a novelist and longtime friend of Melngailis. Nobody can explain it.

Khakpour added she was in the dark like everybody else with her friends new mystery man. If she met someone she was in love with, we would all know.

Sarma was someone you could always reach. During the course of this thing, she completely fell off the planet. Everybody was really concerned for her life, Khakpour added.

The way one former Pure managerwho asked to remain anonymousput it, Strangis was dead weight who sank everything Melngailis built from scratch. The consensus is that the moment Shane, aka Anthony, came into her life, there was a big change in her, and a big change in the overall way that the place was being run.

The employee, who worked at Pure since it opened, said he only knew of Melngailiss marriage because Strangis told him. She didnt really like telling people about it. There wasnt an announcement and celebration. It was almost like a secretive, hushed vibe on her part, the insider said.

Confidants and former employees alike believe Melngailis met Strangis on Twitter, a hunch their trail of tweets appears to corroborate.

After Strangis allegedly abandoned his Florida family and moved to New York, he metamorphosed into @MrFoxNYC. He later settled on @JohnSpartanXX, an account inactive since May 10, 2016the day he and Melngailis were arrested in their Tennessee hotel.

Im that guy from that thing you like! Strangiss Twitter bio reads. My Tweets have been featured in Rolling Stone, Funny or Die, People Magazine, Jimmy Kimmel Live. Proud Nerd and Gamer. Indeed, his account, created in October 2012 and confirmed by former Pure employees, has amassed 54,900 followers, including Melngailis, Alec Baldwin, Chrissy Teigen, and Cory Booker.

His dispatches turned bleak in the weeks leading up to his arrest.

Its not hard to make a few million dollars. So Dont brag about it and dont think it makes you better than someone struggling. It doesnt, Strangistweeted on Valentines Day.

On May 7, Strangis posted a photo of himself in aviator sunglasses and a baseball cap referencing a fictional city in the game Grand Theft Auto V. Life was so much better in Los Santos, he wrote.

That day, he also griped, Whats seriously the point of anything at all. A follower replied, Sounds like suicide talk. Strangis replied, Nah bruh. Its what happens when you get to the top of the hill and realize now shit is just boring AF.

The Real Anthony Strangis

Before he became the high-rolling Shane Fox, Anthony Strangis was a married man living in Manatee County, Florida.

His ex-wife, Stacy Strangis, said he was living with his retired cop father when they met at the gym in 2003. She fell for his Massachusetts tongue and melted over his wit; they got hitched in Las Vegas just three months later.

They had a son, who is now 11 years old and hasnt seen his dad beyond photographs, the former spouse told The Daily Beast in a phone call.

He told me that he was a Navy SEAL [shot] in the line of action and he was at his dads recuperating. Thats the story I got, the 44-year-old surgical assistant said from her Palmetto home. It was hard to believe, but then he had a Navy SEAL ring. Dont even ask me where he got that fromeBay maybe? I dont know.

The Daily Beast was unable to confirm whether Strangis ever served with the Navy SEALs.

Stacy Strangis described Anthony as the consummate confidence manhed disappear on countless gambling trips with his dad, John Strangis. The two of them would hightail it to Vegas until money ran out and they slept in their cars, she said. (The elder Strangis died in 2012.)

Any story he told, his dad backed him up. His father actually said he was a Navy SEAL, said Strangis, who first told the New York Post about the alleged special-ops whopper.

Strangis kept stringing Stacy along with cockeyed plans of becoming a seaman or a lawyer, but bluffed at both. His impersonation arrest nixed his supposed Navy plans, plus, she said, he was too fat.

One time when we got into a fight his dad literally called me and told me, The Navy came and dropped off orders at my house and Anthonys going to have to leave the country.

The ex-wife remembered the father and sons bond as extremely deranged. They would threaten to kill each other with knives and swords and guns and then 20 minutes later, they would be at the table playing poker. Theyre whackjobs. Youve never witnessed anything like this!

She believes John Strangis brought his son up to become a hustler and was always tagging along because his dad was lonely.

I really cared about his dad as well, Stacy Strangis said. Hed come over and they played cards with [my daughter]. Never pokerUno and all that.

She added of the father-son duo, When they were good, they were really, really good. But when they were bad, they were really, really bad.

Her account of the couples whirlwind marriage offers a rare glimpse into Anthonys past. Anthony Strangiss mother didnt return repeated messages left by The Daily Beast, and neither Stacy Strangis nor Melngailiss camp could name any of Anthonys close friends.

Strangiss attorney, Samuel Karliner, said he hadnt spoken to Stacy and that her commentary plays no part in this case.

There is no love lost between the two of them, Karliner said. I would take what either of them says about each other with a pound and a half of salt.

Still, Stacy Strangis says she quickly cottoned onto her hubbys deceit.

Id caught him in so many lies that I figured he wasnt a Navy Seal. But then you had his father telling you, Yes, he was. Strangis said. Your mind would go trippy because you would never know what to believe.

She said Anthony never could hold a job. He thinks hes too good to work a normal job, she said. Rather than work for a company, he wants to own the company.

One night, when she dropped him off at a local distribution center where he claimed to work, she idled on the other side of the building. Sure enough it wasnt three minutes later, his dad swooped him up and they went to the casino, Strangis fumed.

His dad was picking him up every night then he would bring Anthony back right before I was supposed to pick him up for his shift, she added.

Stacy Strangis confronted her husband, then let it go. The thing was I loved Anthony. I really really loved him, and my daughter loved him. At that point, we were married and together and I kept thinking I could fix him, she said.

During one four-week jaunt to Vegas, Anthony wouldnt return Stacys calls and pretended to be missing. But Stacy had the password for Johns cellphone and began checking his voicemails to make sure they were okay.

According to Stacy, Anthony was on probation at the time for grand larceny, for allegedly selling his fathers Jaguar. (Records show he was never charged.) When he finally returned home, he allegedly told her that shadowy captors were beating me and burning me. She replied, But they were nice enough to call your probation officer for you every day?

His answer for that was, Yes, they did! Strangis said. So theyre torturing him, and beating him to death because he owes them all this money but they were nice enough to call his probation officer so he didnt get a warrant put out for his arrest.

Anthony also allegedly carried around his fathers old police badgea habit that led to his arrest for impersonating a police officer. Stacy Strangis claims cops were called one night in 2005 when they got into a fight. Its okay, Im a police officer, Stacy heard him tell the dispatched officer. (Charges were dropped weeks later, records show.)

Soon Anthonys disappearing acts increased until he departed her life forever. She remembers his last words, in 2006, when she reminded him that they were responsible for the snacks at her daughters softball game.

Dont be late. Its our turn to work the concession stand, she said. He replied, I wont be late. Ill see you there.

Ive never heard from the man ever again, she said.

She couldnt even reach him to sign their divorce papers, reduced to having to publish notices in the local newspaper.

As Stacy Strangis reads the news about Anthonys most recent dustup, she wonders if Melngailis knew of the son he left behind. She says while he was touring the world and buying blinghe never paid child support or showed an interest in their boy. (The Daily Beast was unable to confirm this allegation.)

Yes, Anthony can be Mr. Wonderful and sweep you off your feet, but there comes a point where your logical brain kicks in and its like, Seriously, she added.

Mr. Shane Fox

I just cant find the right women, Strangis griped on Twitter, around the time he was apparently courting Melngailis in October 2011.

Have Hilaria hook you up, replied one of his followers, Maggie, referring to Hilaria Baldwin. Days later, the woman repeated the suggestion: Your friend, Hilaria, needs to hook you up! She must have lots of friends in the 2835ish range.

Strangis spindled a new world for himself on Twitter as @Uknowuwant_it, which he used to disseminate stick-figure drawings.

Among his fans were actor Alec Baldwin and his yoga instructor wife, Hilaria, who also happened to meet at Melngailiss Pure Food and Wine. The couple repeatedly plugged @Uknowuwant_it in Twitter posts.

He was Enrique to the Baldwins.

In October 2011, Hilaria created the nickname for Strangis. She often lauded his doodles, which included Alec and herself as characters. I created a name for you: Enrique. Since u r no longer Todd and Harry isnt ur real name We go 4 the Spanish version, ok? Hilaria tweeted.

Strangis sketched a passport that says Alec Baldwin and certified-official NOT a Terrorist in one post. Another drawing shows Hilaria on an awesome Tibet mountain with a Yeti, alongside a stick-figure of Strangis and leprechauns plummeting below.

I drew this picture of you guys eating sushi It took 45 minutes to draw your [sic] welcome, Strangis tweeted, with an image of Alec and Hilaria sitting at a table with floating hearts.

The 30 Rock star routinely answered comical queries from Strangis too.

I need a new suit.. any suit advice from my life coach? Strangis tweeted. Baldwinreplied, No striped tie with striped shirt.

When Strangis joshed, Cheney & Martha Stewart got a cook book coming out.. whats it called, Baldwin replied: Yellow Cake Uranium Treats.

The Daily Beast contacted the Baldwins publicist, but the couple did not return messages left for comment. Its unclear if the celebs knew Strangis outside of his online alter ego.

By 2012, Strangis was planning to relocate to New York. Im moving 2 the city in a few short months..best place 2 live? he tweeted to Alec Baldwin in November 2011. The actor replied, Up by Columbia.

A month later, followers wished him well, including one woman who tweeted, Enjoy your time w Mrs. Fox.

Soon, Strangis was juicing and noshing his way like a pro with his squeeze Melngailis, according to the veggie mavens own Twitter posts. Where is Mr Fox when you need some citrus zested? she tweeted in December 2012.

Strangis was never introduced as her husband or under his real name, Pure employees said. He was simply Shane and an old friend of Sarma, who sometimes helped out at the restaurant, one manager said.

While Melngailiss marriage was kept secret from friends and waitstaff, her social media indicates Strangis at least met her family.

Going to dinner w my Mom n Mr Fox at @BurdickChocolat in Walpole, NH, she wrote days before Christmas in 2012.

In another post, Melngailis said, My Mom and Mr Fox bonding via conversation by the fire. Im eavesdropping. Making salad. Everyones drinking. Im going to stab myself.

Strangis also bonded with Melngailiss brother, Noah, who runs a One Lucky Duck juice bar in Texas. My brother and Mr Fox talking, on and on, about the Ninja Turtles movies. Ho hum, she wrote in January 2013.

Under his newest username, @JohnSpartanXX, Strangis started calling his wife, Weezy.

Melngailiss friends told The Daily Beast she was vulnerable, recovering from a breakup, when things started cooking with Strangis.

She is the type of person to give her whole heart to someone, and completely consume her life with them to make them happy, said Joe Hardin, Melngailiss former assistant. And I feel like people knew that about her. Some men would take advantage of that.

Hardin said he spoke to Melngailis in recent days. From her perspective, she feels like shes walking out of a coma, he said, adding, She said at some point, the full truth will come out.

Khakpour echoed this claim, saying male investors often breezed into Melngailiss life, promising her the world.

These investors were always a little bit in love with her and promised to help with the restaurant, but it really was about an interest in her, Khakpour said. Theres a whole misogyny aspect to the story people arent looking at. How its [currently] portrayed makes her look terrible.

In 2014, according to employees, Strangis, going by Shane Fox, made more frequent appearances at Pure Food and Wine.

Thats when the business went sideways, the indictment states.

Melngailis ran Pure in absentia, communicating only through email and text messages. Paychecks routinely bounced. Melngailis stiffed workers of their paychecks in April, May, July, August, and November 2014, the indictment says.

Her food dynasty seemed to come down like a dry sand castle once Strangis entered the picture, multiple former employees told The Daily Beast.

Our paychecks never bounced prior to Anthony coming around, one former manager, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Daily Beast. (Several longtime Pure employees and managers confirmed this claim.)

He was a super intimidating guy, but he was good to me, to be honest with you He carried himself in this Goodfellas way, the employee added.

When workers werent paid, Strangis played an offseason Santa and slipped cash into peoples pockets, saying, Hang in there. Everythings going to be OK, the manager said. Strangis allegedly assured him, Your loyalty will be taken care of. You wait and see. When everything goes OK, well all be laughing from the yacht.

As paychecks kept bouncing, Strangis bought the worker an iPad and allegedly told him, I know you trained everybody. [Melngailis] remembers that.

In July 2014, Connecticut cops cuffed Strangis on a warrant out of Florida after he won two jackpots worth $164,000 at Foxwoods.

At the time, Strangis was a wanted man in Sarasota County for violating probation on a grand larceny conviction and charged with being a fugitive from justice. He posted a $50,000 cash bond, The Day reported. (When asked about the charge, a Sarasota County sheriffs spokeswoman said she had no record of Strangis, indicating the record was likely expunged.)

Only a month later, Strangis was holding a meeting for Pure managers, telling them hed buy the company from Melngailis on paper, according to the Brooklyn indictment. His transfer of millions of dollars was causing payroll delays, Strangis claimed, and he promised to fix the problem.

Pure Food and Wine eventually shuttered in January 2015, after paychecks bounced and employees refused to work.

Melngailis rushed to find investment capital to relaunch the restaurant.

And in Bernie Madoff fashion, Melngailis used part of the $844,000 seed investment to pay back wages and other bills, prosecutors say. Then she rehired Pure stalwarts and reopened her shop in April 2015. She promised to never miss payroll again, court papers state.

In the meantime, she told one investor she was negotiating a sale of her entire company to Michael Caledonia, who was actually Strangis posing as a wealthy businessman, the indictment says. Strangis, as the fictitious Caledonia, even met with a second investor to support the web of deceit, prosecutors say.

By June, Melngailis had transferred over $400,000 in company funds to another account in her name. She withdrew $100,000 of this money, then wired over $300,000 to Foxwoods casino in Connecticut on behalf of Strangis, court papers state.

Staff tried to keep Pure Food and Wine open, even operating as a cash only cooperative so revenues wouldnt go into Melngailiss account. They picketed and held streetside potlucks to save the healthy eatery. In July 2015, without access to accounts and unable to pay vendors, Pure shut down.

Melngailis had moved more than $1.6 million from her business accounts to one of her personal bank accounts, and from there to Strangiss account, prosecutors say.

Strangis spent nearly $1 million at Foxwoods, at least $200,000 at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, and over $80,000 at ritzy stores including Rolex. He also dropped $70,000 on hotels in Europe and New York, $10,000 on Uber car rides, and withdrew hundreds of thousands in cash, court papers charge.

His attorney, Samuel Karliner, said its easy for Melngailiss allies to blame the husband, but something more is going on here.

She was the straw that stirred the drink, Karliner told The Daily Beast. She had the access, she had the funds, she had the intelligence, and the business acumen.

To hear him tell it, the barrister added, they were in love, they traveled and she had the financial means to do that.

Collared

When police came knocking, Sarma Melngailis didnt try to run or even bother asking about her husbands fate. The beautiful foodie-turned-fugitive had only her beloved pit bull, Leon, on her mind. And she begged cops not to send him to the pound.

She sat on her Tennessee hotel bed and began to cry.

The only thing she was concerned about was the dog, Sevierville detective Kevin Bush told The Daily Beast of Melngailiss high-profile arrest at the local Fairfield Inn. We could tell how fond she was of [him].

Moments before, cops had arrested Strangis after he ordered a Dominos pizza to the hotel. The couple had been laying low at the Sevierville pit stopin a tourist area known for Dollywood and a casino on the North Carolina borderwithout visitors or room service. They stayed in separate rooms, Bush said.

Our county population doubles on any given day, Bush said. Its like a small Las Vegas. We have a lot of fugitives come through here and seasonal kids coming to work at Dollywood and theme parks.

Around 3 p.m. on May 10, Bush and his partner, detective Ray Brown, used a ruse to coax Strangis to the lobby and into handcuffs. Then they moved on to Room 316, where they assumed Melngailis was hiding. But when they knocked, a woman came out from next door.

Maam, you need to go back inside, Brown told her, just as Bush realized it was Melngailis and shouted, Whoa, thats her! Grab her!

She didnt try and run or anything, Bush told The Daily Beast, adding, I think reality set in for her that she was gonna have to go back [to New York].

Melngailis pleaded with the detectives to care for Leon, who was living in her room and adored by hotel staff, Bush said. She asked specifically about the dog, and I promised her, I gave her my word that wed take care of it. It stayed [here] for a few days, and Sarmas father came and got it, the detective added.

Once the pizza gourmand and his vegan celeb were caught, it was clear their sizzle was long gone.

You could tell they were not fond of each other, Bush told The Daily Beast. She volunteered that. We were going to let them hug and kiss goodbye, and she did not want to.

Back in Brooklyn, the couple was arraigned separately. At least a dozen former Pure staffers suing for unpaid wages showed up to Melngailiss May 19 court appearance.

They studied their former, outfoxed boss as officers led her out in handcuffs and tan prison garb. She wore dark-rimmed glasses, nervously bowed her head and pressed her fingers together as her attorney spoke.

While ex-waiters await their overdue payday, theyre also watching the criminal case to piece together this tragic puzzle.

If theres one thing I could ask her, it would be, Was it all worth it? What were you looking for that is worth ruining what you had? former juice-slinger Caetano Laprebendere told The Daily Beast. Maybe its a force beyond her.