Man fired from Merrill Lynch after smoothie shop arrest

FAIRFIELD — A man arrested after a now viral tirade in which he reportedly berated teenage employees of a local smoothie shop has been fired from his role at Merrill Lynch.

James Iannazzo, 48, is no longer employed at the investment management firm, according to a statement Monday from its spokesperson. According to his LinkedIn profile, Iannazzo was a wealth management advisor and managing director and had been with the company for 26 years.

“Our company does not tolerate behavior of this kind,” the company said in its statement. “We immediately investigated and have taken action. This individual is no longer employed at our firm.”

Iannazzo is now facing multiple charges including criminal trespass and breach of peace for his alleged actions at the Robeks on Black Rock Turnpike, police said.

A video of the altercation has been viewed millions of times on social media. In a statement Sunday, Iannazzo’s attorney, Frank J. Riccio Jr., said Iannazzo “wholeheartedly regrets” the incident.

In a new statement Monday, Iannazzo said his actions at the smoothie shop were wrong, and again said he regrets them.

“They do not reflect my values or my character,” he said in the statement. “I feel terrible that I lost my composure so completely.”

Iannazzo said he returned to the Robeks to find out what ingredients were used in the smoothie. He said he made the “regrettable comments” because his 17-year-old son “was taken to the hospital suffering with life-threatening anaphylactic shock.”

Iannazzo said his son collapsed on the ground after drinking a smoothie from Robeks, which he alleged contained some sort of nut product, adding he had advised the staff of his son’s nut allergy when he had ordered.

“After he started to drink his smoothie, my son lost the capacity to breathe properly; his lips and face swelled up, and he required an EpiPen shot, but it did not offer him relief. I called 911,” Iannazzo said in the statement. “My son then went to the bathroom, threw up and fell unconscious to the floor. He threw up again. My wife gave him another EpiPen while I called 911 again.”

Iannazzo said his son is “doing okay” now, later adding the medical situation was the “worst nightmare of every parent whose child has a similar allergy.”

“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,” he said in the statement. “I will be extending my apologies personally to the

Robek’s organization, particularly the staff that was working there that night.”

Fairfield Police said they received numerous calls around 2:30 p.m. from employees of Robeks, who reported that an irate customer was throwing things, yelling at employees and refusing to leave.

Police said a subsequent investigation showed that Iannazzo had made a purchase at the store an hour earlier. At approximately 1:39 p.m., police said Iannazzo called 911 to request emergency medical attention to his home for a child suffering from an allergic reaction.

The child was later transported to a hospital, police said.

Police said Iannazzo then returned to the store and confronted employees, demanding to know who had made the smoothie.

Employees could not respond and Iannazzo became increasingly angry, using expletives and throwing a drink at an employee that hit their right shoulder. Iannazzo also made comments toward an employee referencing their immigration status, police said.

Employees told Iannazzo to leave multiple times, but he remained inside and “continued to yell insults,” police said.

He then attempted to open a locked door to access the “Employees Only” area, according to police.

Though Iannazzo left the store before police arrived, he was identified shortly after, they said. Iannazzo turned himself in without incident and told police he was upset about his son having a severe allergic reaction, police said.

Employees told police that Iannazzo had not told them about the peanut allergy, only requesting that no peanut butter was put in his drink.

In a statement on Monday, Robeks Spokesperson Barbara Caruso said the company’s 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 thankful that the franchisee’s team members were not physically hurt,” she said. “We appreciate the swift action by law enforcement and the judicial system in pursuing criminal charges for this unacceptable behavior.”

Iannazzo was arrested and charged with second-degree breach of peace, first degree criminal trespass, and intimidation based on bigotry or bias.

He is set to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court on Feb. 7.

Riccio Jr. said in his statement that Iannazzo’s parental instinct kicked in during the incident, adding he acted out of anger and fear.

“He is not a racist individual and deeply regrets his statements and actions during a moment of extreme emotional stress,” he said.