Who Is Anna Delvey

Anna Delvey (real name Anna Sorokin) is a notorious Russian-born con artist who made headlines worldwide in 2018 and 2019 for her intricate scams to dupe friends, strangers, and businesses out of tens of thousands of dollars.

Though she had always spun tall tales—even inventing a fictitious sugar daddy to help her get her to her exclusive high school—it was after relocating to New York City that Delvey really put her skills to use. She created a fictional persona for herself, claiming to be a wealthy German heiress with millions in her trust fund. She lived in luxury hotels and ate at top restaurants. She created a non-profit gallery for contemporary art, and was even accepted by the social elite.

Delvey was able to maintain her facade for months, until her charm and lies ran out, and the huge bills she had racked up began to catch up with her. In the end, Delvey, who had no actual means of income, was charged with multiple counts of grand larceny, theft of services and attempted grand larceny. Most recently, she was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison.

A Netflix series based on Delvey’s story, entitled Inventing Anna, was released in 2021, showing Delvey’s decline as well as the undeniable charisma that allowed her to swindle her way through New York high society.

Delvey may not have amassed the riches she sought in her attempted fraud, but her story is sure to be one of the most memorable of the last decade.