A customer whose attack against employees at a Robex smoothie shop went viral has been charged by police and fired from her job as Merrill Lynch's wealth advisor.
James Innazzo ordered a smoothie from a Robex outlet in Connecticut on Saturday for his son, who is allergic to peanuts. The Fairfield Police Department wrote in a statement that it asked not to drink peanut butter, but did not mention an allergy.
The video shows three employees demanding who made them drink, but they say they are not sure and should call the franchise's corporate office with a complaint. The confrontation escalates quickly, with Innazo making obscene acts on the staff, calling them "f****** idiots, f****** ignorant high school kids".
Iannazzo then throws a drink at one of them, hits him on the shoulder and prompts the other worker to call 911. (According to police the employee was not hurt.) When the employee demands to leave, he continues to yell at her, calling her a "f****** immigrant loser." Then the video shows him making an unsuccessful attempt to enter the door leading to the staff-only area of the shop.
Innazzo left the scene before the police arrived and later turned himself in, according to police.
As of Sunday afternoon, a video of the confrontation has been viewed more than half a million times on Twitter.
Merrill Lynch spokesman Bill Holdin confirmed to Newsweek on Sunday that Innazo had been fired.
"Our company does not tolerate such behavior. We immediately investigated and took action. This person is no longer employed at our firm," the statement said.
Innazo's lawyer, Frank J. Ricio wrote in a statement that he "emphasized to employees" that smoothies should not contain peanuts, which is reflected in the receipt.
"His son has a life-threatening allergy to peanuts. While drinking the Robex smoothie, his son had a severe allergic reaction that required being taken to hospital via ambulance," the statement said. "When faced with a dire situation, Mr. Innazo's parental instincts kicked in and he acted out of anger and fear. He is not racist and deeply regrets his statements and actions during a moment of extreme emotion. Is."
Authorities charged him with intimidation on the grounds of bigotry or prejudice in the second degree, breach of the peace in the second degree and criminal trespass in the first degree. He is to appear in court on February 7.
Robex spokeswoman Barbara Caruso wrote in a statement to Newsweek: "At Robex, 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 behavior, and We are grateful that members of the franchise's team were not physically hurt. We appreciate the prompt action by law enforcement and the judicial system in pursuing criminal charges for this unacceptable behavior."
Iannazzo is still listed as working at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, where it has denied a complaint since April 2015.
Forbes ranked Inazo as one of the 25 Best In-State Wealth Advisors in 2021. He has worked for Merrill Lynch for nearly 26 years.
Morgan Simon, co-founder of investment firm Candide Group and author of Real Impact: The New Economics of Social Change, said, "It's good to see financial institutions taking clear, decisive action in response to this kind of dishonest, racist and misogynistic behavior." " “And in the long term, it is important to address the fact that racism is a cancer within finance, period, with less than 2% of global wealth managed by firms owned by women or people of color.”