The con artist Anna Sorokin, whom you might know as Anna Delvey, was thrown back in the spotlight after Netflix released their show Inventing Anna starring Julia Garner. Produced by Shonda Rhimes, this mini-series is about the rise and fall of this faux heiress and how she swindled millions out of hotels, banks, rich friends, and more.
Garner had to get close to Sorokin to truly grasp the character and give the startlingly realistic portrayal that she did on our screens. In an interview with “Town & Country” magazine, the actress is gentle, charming and sweet. However, that soft-spoken nature can turn as soon as Sorokin wants something.
Born in the suburbs of Moscow in 1991, Sorokin eventually moved to Germany in 2007 with the rest of her family. From there, the globetrotter moved to Paris, where she started going by the alias Anna Delvey. She kept going by this fake name when she headed to NYC in 2014. While living in the city, she used her scam artist skills to live extravagantly, networking with (and stealing from) the elite while bailing on expensive hotel and restaurant bills.
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She was living the dream up until 2017 when the LAPD arrested her in a carefully planned sting. One of the people behind the sting was Rachel DeLoache Williams, whom Sorokin stole from during a trip to Marrakesh, Morocco — $60,000, to be exact. Delvey soon was moved to Riker’s Island, and, just weeks later, was indicted for stealing nearly $300,000 through several scams.
In 2018, Delvey attempted a plea deal but it was rejected on the premise that she didn’t show remorse for her actions. In May 2019, she was sentenced to 4-12 years in prison and was required to pay restitution to people she conned, as well as $24,000 in fines.
