Over the weekend, the New York Post broke the story of “the downfall of New York’s hottest vegan,” Sarma Melngailis. Melngailis was the owner of Pure Food and Wine, a raw, vegan restaurant in Manhattan’s Gramercy Park neighborhood, and the owner of raw, vegan, and gluten-free snack service One Lucky Duck.
Now, she and her husband are charged with 24 counts of theft, labor fraud, and tax crime. But there’s one question about her new life as a criminal (aka the “vegan Bernie Madoff”) that has yet to be answered: What happened to her dog?
I sit side saddle. pic.twitter.com/7De8f4QAb4
— Leon Quinn Trujillo (@oneluckypuppy) April 30, 2015
@oneluckypuppy just saw report of your mother’s arrest. Hope you are in good hands and well taken care of.
— cailleach (@cailleachst) May 17, 2016
does anyone know what happened to her dog @oneluckypuppy??? I hope he is safe:(
— Freddie (@budhvidya) May 14, 2016
Melngailis’s Twitter page links to that of @oneluckypuppy, aka “Leon Quinn Trujillo.” The last updates on both pages are from about a year ago. Back then, Leon looked like he led a pretty good life, hanging out at the restaurant and giving his owner lots of kisses.
Mother’s Day Kisses. pic.twitter.com/voOcnbNAKd
— Leon Quinn Trujillo (@oneluckypuppy) May 10, 2015
So um are you guys hiring hosts? @PureFoodandWine pic.twitter.com/RROSQ7wCDc
— Leon Quinn Trujillo (@oneluckypuppy) April 25, 2015
Leon’s Facebook page doesn’t give much more information, only that by late last year, people were beginning to worry about his whereabouts.
We’ve reached out to One Lucky Duck to see if anyone there has any leads, and to the ASPCA to find out if there’s a protocol for what happens to inmates’ pets. Until then, Leon, we hope you’re safe!
