James Iannazzo apologized for calling a Robeks Smoothie store employee an “immigrant” and throwing a drink on her after losing his job at Merrill Lynch.
He said;
My actions at Robek’s were wrong, and I deeply regret them.
They do not reflect my values or my character.
I feel terrible that I lost my composure so completely.
According to James Iannazzo, his 17-year-old son had a reaction to a smoothie that was made at Robeks because it had peanuts in it, and his son has a peanut allergy.
He said he told the employees working at the store that his son had a peanut allergy prior to placing his order, but somehow peanuts still got in the drink.
He said his son’s lips and face swelled up, he threw up, and he was taken to the hospital.
Iannazzo returned to Robeks Smoothie irate on Sunday (January 23) hurling racial slurs and threatening to kill employees, according to Robeks employee and high school student Charli Hill.
He started to call her racial slurs. He threatened to kill us multiple times.
I understand and we are sorry on behalf of Robeks for how the smoothie was made, but it gives you absolutely no right to act out like that.
Watch the videos below to see how Iannazzo’s erratic behavior and racist remarks landed him in jail:
According to police, Iannazzo left before they arrived but later turned himself in.
He was arrested in Fairfield, Connecticut, and booked on charges of intimidation based on bias, breach of peace, and criminal trespass.
He also lost his financial advisor job at Merrill Lynch once he was identified in the viral video.
Merrill Lynch released the following statement:
Our company does not tolerate behavior of this kind. We immediately investigated and have taken action. This individual is no longer employed at our firm,
Iannazzo has since said he would like to personally apologize to the staff that was working that day.
I was out of my mind with fear for him when I returned to Robek’s, and I wish I had not done so.
I also wish they had been more careful preparing my son’s beverage.
I will be extending my apologies personally to the Robek’s organization, particularly the staff that was working there that night.
Store employees say that Iannazzo never mentioned his son had a peanut allergy, he asked that peanut butter be left out of the drink.
Source: TMZ, NBC New York, and CBS News
