Vegan Sarma, falling in love with the wrong man?

Confusing story and scenario, how did successful Sarma end up in this situation? Is it all her fault, or is it Shane/Anthony guy? The confusion at the beginning of the series, will never really stop, because there are many layers to this story and the creators won’t tell you important details until the end. So keep watching. It all made sense to me much later and some facts still remain up in the air.

Fancy vegan restaurant owner Sarma is interviewed about her story in this docuseries and she tells us how this fraudster happened to her.

The whole series gave me a really sad mood. I don’t know how to better describe it. Sarma is so talented and smart, yet she fell for this conmen? How?

All which is bright from the outside, doesn’t glitter from within, right?

Why did she fall for him? Netflix creators and Sarma leave the door open wide to speculation.

Was it that he was friends on twitter with actor Alec Baldwin?

Sarma first noticed Shane as Mr.Fox on twitter. He would chat and comment back and forth with Alec Baldwin. She knew Alec cause he visits her restaurant, and he showed interest in her. Sarma was not ready or into him at that time, so he ends up meeting his future wife, not Sarma but Hilary, at Sarma’s restaurant.

Their discourse between Alec and Shane on Twitter, gave her the impression that they were friends. That is why she thinks, that she can trust Shane. She starts chatting with him and meeting him. Nobody from Sarma’s staff likes Shane, everyone seemed to feel that something is off with him. But Sharma is happy with their relationship, and slowly the become closer.

She changes gradually when he meets him into a more reserved and alienated person. Before she had created a great bond and was loved by her staff, they would call her “Sarmama”, since she was such a nice, sociable, caring person.

Sarma had her vegan restaurant for some years before meeting Shane. And it was a hit. She as restaurant owner, was in a really good place, publicity wise, she became iconic for vegan raw food and made her restaurant a top end fancy vegan restaurant. Many celebrities and healthy people of New York would dine there. She was making good money. But as many in New York, she was successful, yet vastly in debt. It costed her 2 million dollars debt to keep ownership of the restaurant.

I think that maybe, if she wouldn’t have met Shane, she would have payed of that debt. He basically swindled her out of 1.7 million dollars. This guy isn’t cheap. Always dressing high end fashion, Rolex watches. He was definitely playing the part.

Well, back then she was an accomplished, hard working, business woman. Magazines loved her because she is beautiful too. So the whole marketing package was perfect to showcase her restaurant.

From the outside everything is perfect, from behind, it seems like she did not fully get over her previous break up and was in a life crisis when she met Shane.

We often don’t think about how depressed successful people can be sometimes. We think it is all a party, great times, money, success, beauty. Yet for some it is a lonely experience, with many up and downs, hard trials and disappointments along the way, hard competition, dishonest friends. A long list of very emotion and energy draining events.

When Shane came along, he made himself become desired by Sarma, he made himself mysterious and he made himself as if he was rich. All a lie, but people only believed what they saw in front of their eyes. We know it happens every day. Every fraudster has this perfect appearance, right? So he/she can fool us!

He implies being a secret CIA agent, that is why he disappears from time to time. Isn’t that a felony impersonating a CIA agent? Yes, and it wasn’t the first time he was caught being a total scam. Colleagues of Sarma red flagged him to her, with the copy of what he was charged with (impersonating a police officer) and his real name Anthony Strangis. But after Shane explaines himself and managed to get his own father to confirm his faked stories, she believes him. Did he lie to his father too?

Sarma tells us how the first time she says I love you, was right after he makes her try a Tiffanies 800k diamond ring. He tells her: “take what you want, I will get it for you”. Later he brings her to see a 15 million dollars worth New York Townhouse, so they can live their together when they are married. Doesn’t that remind you of another emotional conman? Showing off his luxury lifestyle, while promising a great future? Never full-filling his promises.

Honestly, Sarma seems to want to get out of her debt and out of being always the responsible one. With Shane, she let her guard down, she let him in to take care of her. He knows her concerns about her 2 million dollar debt and he promises her, he would take care of that. Sarma is willing to trust him to do so. Would you let someone else take care of your debt?

They go to a financial adviser and the advisor says: “the easiest way for him to pay your debt is to marrying him”.

And what does Sarma do? She marries him in a really small ceremony and tells no one, not even her family. That was a bit shady, what was Sarma thinking?

The story is quite one sided, with Sarma, her father and her sisters interviewed. Also her former staff members are really fond of her, they criticise her also, for not paying them. But when she tried to reopen the restaurant after being closed the first time for 3 months, most of her staff came back to her. They loved the atmosphere and the work environment. A lot of people really do love her and care for her. When they noticed the importance Shane was gaining in her life, they were all so worried and did not like Shane at all. Or do they only say it now, in the aftermath?

Sarma did not accept scrutiny or critics regarding her relationship and later her marriage. Anyone who would ask or question, would get fired. Which is honestly better then not getting paid! So speak up if you are not treated well, being fired can be better then to endure worse later.

Shane is a leech and a conmen, that for sure. Did Sarma hope in a better life thanks to him, yes. Was it still justified how he ruined her life, no!

I mean who doesn’t wanna be taken care sometimes. We all are vulnerable, and we want a stable and safe support net. It is good to find that in a partner and to be there for each other. Would it had worked out with Shane, Sarma would have been debt free with her rich husband, in a penthouse New York, next to her beloved restaurant and her future would “be safe and set”. Did she really want that?

What she did not expect is being lied to by the men she says she loved. Shane used to have the password and access to all her personal accounts. He stalked her and knew everything about her. His life purpose was to be her leech. She did not notice it at the beginning and kept sending him money. Money he used at gambling, I mean isn’t there any worse way to loose your money? At least let it be a failed investment, right?

On top of that, he was no vegan and in the years of marriage he became fat. He convinced her that this was part of a spiritual plan, to test her, if she can still love him. Guess what, if you let yourself go, people might not feel about you the same way and that is a harsh truth, I also have to live with. After marriage we change, it is normal to change, but being a health freak to then becoming a person that only eats fast food, that is a real change of character. Should you love and accept the person you married, or the person they will become? What do you think?

Why did Sarma, such a smart young lady, believe all his lies? That he was this super human being, and everyone else was only part of this big game. That should have been a red flag, from now on when someone has such grandiosity illusions I will run, I will run as fast and far as I can, and on top of that I will try to get help from family, friends and authorities!

This Shane guy had so many read flags, I cannot even count them.

Which was your red flag number one? When would you have left?

If you enjoyed this article,

you can read more on the category fraudsters:

Anna Delvey, can a fake heiress fool the rich?

Are you sure you are immune to the Tinder Swindler?

Thanks for reading.

See you in the comments.

Yours,

Queen BingeEye