JAMES Iannazzo has been arrested and charged after being accused of launching a racist tirade and hurling a drink at a worker in a smoothie shop.
The financial adviser has also been fired by investment company Merrill Lynch.
Who is James Iannazzo?
Iannazzo, 48, is a Connecticut dad who had been working for Merrill Lynch as a financial adviser.
However, following his arrest he was fired by the company where he had been working for 26 years.
He was ranked by Forbes in 2021 as one of the 25 best in-state wealth advisers.
According to Iannazzo's LinkedIn profile, he was the managing director of Merryl Lynch since 1995.
The wealth management adviser graduated from UConn in 1995.
The profile also states he is married and Iannazzo and his wife have three children.
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2Why has he been fired from Merrill Lynch?
Iannazzo has been accused of hurling racist abuse and throwing a drink at a worker on Saturday, January 22, 2022, after his son suffered an allergic reaction, cops have said.
He was arrested and charged with a hate crime following the incident at Robeks in Fairfield shortly before 2.30pm., according to the Fairfield Police Department.
According to the authorities, the incident began when Iannazzo returned home with a smoothie from the business that purportedly contained peanuts – triggering the allergic reaction that sent his son to the hospital.
He ordered a drink without peanut butter but did not mention his son’s allergy, according to Fairfield police.
After his son was taken to hospital for treatment, Iannazzo returned to the shop.
The ensuing argument is said to have been caught on video, which was then put on TikTok where it racked up some 16million views before being taken down Sunday, January 23, 2022.
In the footage the man can be seen to be repeatedly demanding to know who made the drink.
The three employees in the store at the time tell him they are unsure but tell him to call he franchise’s corporate office with the complaint.
The man then started to hurl abuse at the employees demanding to know the number of the corporate office.
He can be heard screaming in the footage: “Shut the f**k up! Stupid f*****g idiot. You’re a f*****g idiot. I want the f*****g number. Shut up.”
The man can then be seen throwing a drink at one of the employees, hitting her right shoulder.
He then tries to get through the employee-only entrance while the staff contact the cops.
The man continues to hurl abuse at the staff while they ask him to leave.
At one point he can be heard calling a member of staff a “f*****g immigrant loser”.
He left the outlet before the cops arrived but later turned himself in, the authorities said.
Iannazzo was arrested on charges of intimidation based on bias, breach of peace and criminal trespass.
Reports state he admitted to officers he went back to the store after becoming upset about his son’s severe allergic reaction, according to police.
His attorney Frank J Riccio said in a statement that Mr Iannazzo was “not racist and deeply regrets his statement and actions during a moment of extreme emotion”.
He is due to appear in court on February 7, 2022.
Robeks spokesperson Barbara Caruso wrote in a statement to Newsweek: “At Robeks, our priority is to protect both store team members and guests.
"The company and its franchisees have a zero-tolerance policy for this type of behaviour, and we are thankful that the franchisee’s team members were not physically hurt.”
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