The former Merrill Lynch broker who was fired by the wirehouse after he was captured on video throwing a drink and swearing at employees at a Robeks smoothie shop in Connecticut is expected to plead not guilty to the three charges he faces at a hearing on April 8 at 10 a.m. at Bridgeport Superior Court, according to the court's website.
The broker and advisor, James Iannazzo, applied for a pretrial probation program on Wednesday and is seeking accelerated rehabilitation in which he would plead not guilty to the charges and could be placed on up to two years of probation, according to the Connecticut Post. The program is designed for nonviolent offenders.
Iannazzo's lawyers, Eugene Riccio and Frank Riccio II, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
The Fairfield Police Department had arrested Iannazzo in January and charged him with intimidation based on bigotry or bias, breach of peace and criminal trespass.
The incident, captured on a video that spread widely on social media and in the news, showed Iannazzo throwing a drink and calling an employee an "immigrant loser." He said the store had sold him a smoothie that caused his son to have a severe allergic reaction.
The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards "imposed an interim suspension of the CFP certification against" Iannazzo in February.
