Who is James Iannazzo? Merryl Lynch fires man after he throws smoothie on Robeks employee in racist tirade video

James Iannazzo, a Merryl Lynch financial advisor, went viral on social media after firing at Robeks smoothie shop employees for getting his order wrong. The Connecticut-native had ordered a smoothie for his son and requested that they not use peanut butter. He did not mention that his son was allergic to peanuts, leading to the child having an allergic reaction. Iannazzo then resorted to physical violence.

Following his son’s reaction to the peanuts, James Iannazzo demanded that the employees tell him who made the drink; however, they did not remember. The wealth advisor then hurled obscenities at employees. He called them “f**king stupid, f**king ignorant high school kids.”

The customer was asked to register a complaint with the Robeks corporate office, but Iannazzo refused to comply.

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James Iannazzo uses racist slurs against Robeks employees

As the 48-year-old continued to lose his composure, he threw a drink at one of the employees and questioned their immigration status. Iannazzo called one of the employees a “f**king immigrant loser,” as well when other employees were calling the police.

The father also attempted to enter the “Employees Only” section of the shop. However, he fled the smoothie shop before the police arrived.

Wealth advisor fires at smoothie shop employees (Image via LinkedIn)

According to Iannazzo's LinkedIn profile, he was the managaing director of Merryl Lynch since 1995. The wealth management advisor graduated from UConn in 1995. He is also a Norwalk High School alum. The profile also reads that he is married. Iannazzo and his wife parent three children.

The video of the confrontation has racked up over two million views on TikTok.

James Iannazzo’s attorney Frank J Riccio said in a statement that the former’s son has a life-threatening peanut allergy. He was taken to the hospital via ambulance following an allergic reaction. He added:

"When faced with a dire situation, Mr. Iannazzo' parental instinct kicked in and he acted out of anger and fear. He is not a racist and deeply regrets his statement and actions during a moment of extreme emotion."

The man in question has been charged with bias in the second degree, criminal trespass in the first degree and a breach of peace in the second degree.

Merryl Lynch has fired James Iannazzo following the confrontation. They said in a 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 was ranked one of the 'Top 25 High Net-Worth Wealth Advisors' by Forbes in 2021.