Anthony Vanelli is the former partner of reality TV personality Rilah Ferrer of TLC’s Unexpected.
He is currently under house arrest in Florida following his release from prison after serving time for aggravated battery.
Here is everything you need to know about Vanelli post-incarceration.
Anthony Vanelli’s arrest and conviction
Vanelli was arrested in mid-2023 and later sentenced in late 2024 for stabbing his mother’s boyfriend in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
According to the arrest report, Vanelli’s mother’s boyfriend was watching football at home when Antony arrived at the residence.
He got into a verbal confrontation over Antony walking around the house while holding a knife with children inside.
Vanelli then stabbed him multiple times, sustaining puncture wounds on his back and chest.
He pleaded nolo contendere (no contest) to charges of felony aggravated battery and misdemeanor resisting an officer without violence.
He was sentenced to 16 months in prison, but because he had already served over 568 days in jail, he was released to serve the rest of his sentence at home or under community control.
Antony Vanelli is under community control
Anthony Vanelli is permitted to live at home, but his movement is highly restricted under Florida’s community control system.
He can only leave for court-approved activities such as work, treatment sessions, medical appointments, or any other outings, which must be pre-approved by his community control officer.
Antony Vanelli will remain under house arrest for two years, followed by three years of probation, during which he must report regularly to authorities and comply with additional conditions set by the court.
Similarly, Vanelli must participate in a dual-diagnosis program, designed to treat individuals with both mental health and substance use issues.
Reports indicate that he was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Therefore, the treatment aspect of his sentence aims to address these concerns.
This came even as community members on Reddit speculated that he may be dealing with behavioural or mental health issues at the time.
“They need to stop releasing his a** atp. He’s clearly mentally unstable, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually kills someone next time. He’s tried and failed too many times. I can only imagine the fear that Rilah experiences every time this nutjob is released, smh,” a user stated.
“He probably will. Pretty sure I’ve seen on here that he’s a diagnosed schizophrenic, and he’s more than likely not managing it or able to receive consistent treatment. He needs to be placed in a facility so they can get his condition under control,” another user stated.
“Otherwise, they’re just going to keep playing catch and release with him until he kills someone and then pleads insanity. He’s proven to be an extremely violent offender and should not be released.”
Vanelli’s past violent history
Vanelli has criminal cases beyond stabbing his mother’s boyfriend. He was arrested for domestic violence against Rila in 2019.
Additionally, his mother told police that he was arrested in 2021 for firing a gun at his stepdad’s house and stealing his grandmother’s car.
Similarly, he was arrested for trying to run away from a law enforcement officer and tampering in February 2022 and for assault with a deadly weapon in April 2021.
Prosecutors dropped some of these cases, but the repeated altercations have kept him under law enforcement watch and contributed to the strict conditions of his current release.