James Iannazzo, a former Connecticut-based financial adviser for Merrill Lynch, was arrested and fired from his job after tossing a drink at a smoothie shop worker in a racist incident that took place in January. Now, the 48-year-old father is facing legal action from the Fairfield store's employee.
As previously reported, Iannazzo was caught on video verbally abusing and throwing a smoothie at a 17-year-old girl working at the store for "giving his allergic son a drink containing peanuts." He was also filmed making racist remarks towards the employee, calling her a "f**king immigrant loser."
Video footage of the incident, shared by popular TikToker @thatdaneshguy, instantly went viral on social media with more than 16 million views at the time. Here's the video:
Following the incident, Iannazzo was arrested and charged with second-degree breach of peace, first degree criminal trespass, and intimidation based on bigotry or bias. Last month, he was sentenced to one-year probation under an accelerated rehab program for his unhinged act.
Under the program, Iannazzo, who previously pleaded not guilty, will be placed on one year of probation. If he completes that probation without committing a new crime the charges against him will be dismissed. The judge also ordered Iannazzo to make a $500 charitable donation.
He was also fired from his position as wealth advisor and director at Merrill Lynch Management, where he had been working since 1995.
Victim of Iannazzo's Racist Attack Seeking $300K
The victim of the attack, a Stratford teenager, is now seeking $300,000 for injuries she claims she suffered after she was hit by the smoothie thrown by Iannazzo, according to documents obtained by the Connecticut Post.
In a lawsuit filed this week in Superior Court, the now 18-year-old Gianna Marie Miranda, claims she was "emotionally, mentally and physically injured" by Iannazzo at the smoothie shop. As a result of the incident, she claims she has had to undergo counseling and therapy.
According to the affidavit filed in her lawsuit, Miranda states she was working in the smoothie shop with three other teenaged girls when Iannazzo returned within an hour of ordering the drinks.
"He was very irate and yelling at myself and the other employees that peanut butter was put in the smoothie and wanted to know which of the four employees made his particular smoothie," her affidavit states. She continued that it was unknown who had made the smoothie for Iannazzo.
"Mr. Iannazzo continued to scream, yell and shout racial slurs against myself and the other employees and became physically (sic) and confrontational with his behavior. Mr. Iannazzo threw the smoothie he was holding at me and I was hit in my shoulder/neck area and I was yelling for him to get out of the store," she states.
"At one point, while making rude remarks, swearing and threatening to kill us, using racial slurs, he attempted to enter into an employee's only door and myself and my co-workers had to lean against the door to keep him from entering and possibly causing us further physical harm."
