She Convinced Manhattan’s Elite She Was an Heiress, Then Stole Hundreds of Thousands and Became Famous for It

In 2013, a woman calling herself Anna Delvey appeared in Manhattan’s elite social circles with a story about German oil money and a multimillion-dollar trust fund. She wore designer clothes, stayed at exclusive hotels, and tipped $100 like it meant nothing. Nobody suspected that Anna Delvey didn’t exist, that she was actually Anna Sorokin from Russia, and that every dollar she spent was stolen. By 2017, she’d scammed over $275,000 from hotels, banks, and friends who never saw the con coming.

Sorokin grew up near Moscow, where her father drove trucks, and her mother ran a convenience store. The family moved to Germany when she turned 16, and eventually she landed an internship at Purple magazine in Paris. The exclusive parties, the influential people, the casual wealth on display. Sorokin watched how rich people moved through the world, and she decided she wanted that life. So she invented a version of herself who already had it.

She picked the name Anna Delvey for reasons she never bothered explaining to anyone. When Purple moved her to their New York office, she started testing out her new identity. Sometimes her family’s money came from oil. Other times, it was tech or solar energy. The story shifted depending on who asked. Nobody seemed to notice the contradictions. They were too distracted by the confidence, the expensive clothes, the extravagant tips. Looking rich was enough to make people believe she was.

She Pitched a $40 Million Art Foundation Using Completely Forged Financial Documents

Delvey’s biggest play was the Anna Delvey Foundation, a proposed private members club and art space she claimed would reshape New York’s cultural landscape. She pitched the concept to prominent collectors, including millionaire Michael Xufu Huang, presenting architectural plans and financial projections. The foundation required a building, investors, and millions in capital. To secure it, Delvey targeted banks with forged documents claiming she held millions in Swiss accounts, manufacturing financial statements that initially convinced loan officers the money existed.

The forgeries worked remarkably well at first. City National Bank approved a $100,000 loan based on her fabricated statements. Citibank handed over $70,000. Delvey attempted to secure $22 million from other institutions using fake wire transfer confirmations that suggested money was moving between international accounts. She stayed at New York’s most exclusive hotels, including 11 Howard in SoHo, running up bills exceeding $30,000 without paying. Collection agencies eventually caught on, but by then she’d moved to the next hotel.

Delvey worked the same con over and over. She’d invite friends to expensive dinners or shopping trips, then her cards wouldn’t work when the bill came. Could they cover it temporarily? She’d pay them back immediately, she promised. Many victims kept careful records of what she owed, expecting payment within days. Instead, they got endless explanations about overseas accounts, wire transfer delays, and banking complications. Coming from someone who looked like an heiress, the excuses sounded believable enough that people waited, then waited longer.

A $7,000-Per-Night Morocco Trip Left One Friend $62,000 in Debt

In May 2017, Delvey invited three companions on what she promised would be an all-expenses-paid luxury vacation to Marrakech. The group included Rachel DeLoache Williams, a Vanity Fair photo editor, celebrity fitness trainer Kacy Duke, and videographer Jesse Hawk. They checked into La Mamounia, one of the world’s most prestigious hotels, where rooms cost $7,000 per night. For days, everything seemed perfect. Then Delvey’s credit cards stopped working when La Mamounia’s managers presented the bill.

When hotel staff demanded payment, Delvey had a solution ready. Her overseas accounts were temporarily inaccessible, she explained, and she needed Williams to use her personal and corporate credit cards just until the banking issue was resolved. Williams reluctantly agreed, watching the charges accumulate to $62,000, a sum that exceeded her annual Vanity Fair salary. The bill covered accommodations, meals, a $1,600 private tour of Yves Saint Laurent’s gardens, and various luxury expenses throughout their stay in Morocco.

Back in New York, Williams struggled to pay rent and basic bills while desperately trying to reach Delvey for reimbursement. The excuses multiplied. Wire transfers were delayed. Banks were processing international transactions. Money was moving but hadn’t cleared yet. Williams experienced panic attacks and sleepless nights as collection agencies called repeatedly. Meanwhile, unpaid hotel bills mounted across Manhattan. The Beekman Hotel evicted Delvey. The W Hotel did the same. She was essentially homeless, jumping between establishments while dodging creditors.

She Sold Her Story to Netflix for $320,000 While Fighting Deportation From House Arrest

By July 2017, Williams realized she’d been conned and contacted the police. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office had been building a case for months, gathering evidence of bank fraud and theft. Authorities organized a sting operation, luring Delvey to a lunch meeting in Los Angeles, where they arrested her in October 2017. In April 2019, after 19 months at Rikers Island, she stood trial facing eight counts, including grand larceny and theft of services. Prosecutors presented overwhelming evidence: forged documents, unpaid bills totaling hundreds of thousands, and victim testimony.

The jury found her guilty on multiple counts. The court sentenced Delvey to four to 12 years in state prison and ordered approximately $200,000 in restitution to the victims. Jurors acquitted her of stealing from Williams specifically, though Williams’ credit card company eventually forgave most of her debt. Delvey was released in February 2021 after serving two years, but immigration authorities immediately detained her for visa violations. Freedom lasted hours. She’s been fighting deportation to Germany ever since.

While incarcerated, Delvey sold her story rights to Netflix for over $320,000, money that went directly toward paying victims and legal fees. Shonda Rhimes created Inventing Anna, starring Julia Garner, which became Netflix’s most-watched show the week it premiered in February 2022. In October 2022, after 19 months in immigration detention, authorities released Delvey to house arrest with electronic monitoring. She’s appeared on Dancing with the Stars wearing her ankle monitor, walked red carpets, and signed deals for reality shows. Somehow, she turned being a convicted con artist into a career.