However, this woman cheated everyone while living like a queen. You’ve got to read on to learn about Anna Delvey’s amazing life as a millionaire woman without a penny to her name!
A Mysterious Woman
Anna Delvey was a name that every New York socialite knew. If you asked where she came from, each person is likely to give a different answer. You could tell she came from money, and she acted like she could do anything. That’s why no one knew what she was up to!
A Mysterious Woman
A Wealthy Heiress
This woman didn’t have an address and went from hotel to hotel. However, when she moved to the new boutique hotel in Soho, she gained a reputation quickly. According to those who knew her, she was just always there and knew the right people, so the hotel didn’t ask for a credit card.
A Wealthy Heiress
The High Life
Anna lived a celebrity’s life, handing out huge tips and wearing designer clothes. She made friends with a young concierge called Neffatari Davis, who was intrigued by her. The woman was staying for a full month at a fancy hotel, which was only what the wealthy did.
The High Life
A Soho Socialite
To Neff, Anna seemed like a Soho socialite. Since Neff was a cinematographer, she wanted to get close to Anna for the connections that might further her career. Anna often came to the desk for places to go and eat, though she already knew what they were, so why was she intrigued with Neffatari?
A Soho Socialite
A Friend
It dawned on Neff that Anna wasn’t in search of information but time. She needed a hotel friend, and that’s what she got! As the pair got closer, danger ensued. Ultimately, they became friends outside of the hotel and went clubbing together.
A Friend
$100 Bills
Anna was gaining a reputation as a generous guest by doling out $100 tips. She knew money speaks louder than words, and she paid for everything with cash and only large bills. No one knew where the money was from, and they didn’t ask!
$100 Bills
Princess on Vacation
Neff claimed that Anna gave everyone $100 bills and never let the friend pay. In fact, she got a personal trainer and paid them $4,500. With all that money, everyone could see she was wealthy, and most people assumed she was from a European family. Was she a princess on vacation?
Princess On Vacation
Celebrity Friends
Apart from Neff, Anna hosted and organized various dinners at a French restaurant nearby called Le Coucou. These events always had tons of stars, athletes, and CEOs. Even Neff was invited and was seated beside Macaulay Culkin!
Celebrity Friends
A Way with Others
Anna Delvey seemed to have the power of persuasion over others. She knew how to get on well with them. One man she met at the Paris Fashion Week claimed that she was a polite and sweet girl who was ultimately a people person.
A Way With Others
The Right Places
According to the people who knew her, Anna just managed to be in the best place. She’d show up at a Berlin party wearing fancy clothes, but no one knew where the wealth came from. One person claimed that there are tons of trust-fund kids around, so it’s nothing new.
The Right Places
Michael Xufu Huang
Michael Xufu Huang is a successful museum founder and art collector. The two met at an art show and bonded, deciding to visit Italy and celebrate the Venice Biennale together. Anna asked him to put the hotel and flight on his credit card and promised to pay him back. Did she?
Michael Xufu Huang
Venice
Michael felt that it was odd for Anna to pay for everything with cash in Italy. However, it wasn’t a red flag. Then, the trip ended, and she seemed to forget to pay him back. However, Michael forgot that she owned him any money, as he is quite wealthy as well.
Venice
The Birthday Bash
For Anna’s birthday, she wanted a party to remember. Therefore, she hired a company to organize everything and invited Michael. It was a full success until afterward. A few days later, Michael got a message from the company asking for her contact details because she didn’t pay the bill. Maybe she wasn’t who she appeared to be!
The Birthday Bash
Origin Theories
Who is Anna Delvey, and where was she before? People started wondering, and everyone realized they got a different story. One person said her father was a Russian diplomat, so she had family money. Another was under the impression that the father was a titan in the oil industry. Who was this woman?!
Origin Theories
Speculations
Regardless of the theories floating around, they were all wrong. No one was even sure that Anna Delvey was her real name, and she surprised everyone! In fact, she wasn’t bothered and liked the intrigue surrounding her.
Speculations
The ADF
Anna’s goal was to establish a very exclusive club for art called ADF (Anna Delvey Foundation). She hired a creative director and scouted spots for the perfect location. Ultimately, she decided on 281 Park Avenue South, but she needed to take out loans for millions of dollars. Through her connections, someone helped her.
The ADF
Empty Promises
Her financial partner helped her buy the location and wrote emails to backers claiming she needed this loan because her assets were outside of a US in a trust. Anna promised that the resources were there to pay and agreed not to embarrass the company, but she couldn’t keep them!
Empty Promises
Martin Shkreli
Financial concerns grew, and Anna started a fundraiser, inviting wealthy guests to dinner events. Martin Shkreli was one of them and came under fire when his pharmaceutical company chose to raise medication prices. He was convicted of securities fraud and is in jail now. Still, Anna picked up tricks from him and used them for revenge.
Martin Shkreli
Unraveling Begins
Anna was serious about opening the foundation. Neff said she was always on the phone, and the lawyers were constantly calming her down. Then, Anna asked Neff to dinner, and Neff realized that Anna was having cash issues when she couldn’t pay the bill, even with 12 credit cards!
Unraveling Begins
Payment Problems Abound
Clearly, Anna was having cash-flow problems, but she also had another issue. She hadn’t paid for the hotel, and the staff had no credit card file on her. The hotel treated Anna as a prime guest, so it accepted a wire transfer. Still, nothing came after a month and a half.
Payment Problems Abound
Over Her Head
The hotel manager asked Neff to handle Anna’s bill issue since they were close friends. At this point, she owed about $30,000. Neff believed Anna was good for it and spoke to her. Finally, Anna promised that the wire transfer was on its way, but she didn’t confide how over her head she was. Everything was falling apart, but then something amazing happened!
Over Her Head
No More Games
Ultimately, the hotel got a wire transfer from Anna Delvey for $30,000! Suddenly, everything was normal again for this socialite, or that’s what she thought. She had a rude awakening because the hotel still didn’t have a credit card number. Bills were racking up all the time, and they demanded a valid card or threatened to change her room code.
No More Games
Rude Awakening
When she didn’t provide a credit card, the hotel changed her room code and locked her out. She was angry at being treated that way, so she pulled out one of Martin Shkreli’s tricks. Ultimately, she told the hotel manager she was purchasing web domains with their names, so they’d have to pay her to get them. She claimed she was going on vacation to Morocco with her personal trainer.
Rude Awakening
Morocco
Her trip to Morocco had issues. The personal trainer got food poisoning and came back early. Later, the trainer received a call from Anna because the credit card didn’t go through. Therefore, the hotel manager was threatening the police, so she begged the personal trainer to pay for her, but that card didn’t go through. From there, the hotel realized the issue might be its fault.
Morocco
Kicked Out
Once Anna got back to the US, she went to another hotel, but the same issues arose. She couldn’t pay the bill again and was kicked out without her belongings. Now, this socialite was homeless. Anna used the hotel scheme again and begged the personal trainer to let her stay with her, but that wasn’t the best idea.
Kicked Out
A Friend Scammed
Who did pay for the Moroccan hotel? Another friend who Anna invited along to the trip was Rachael Williams, who got stuck with that bill after the two were being threatened with jail in a foreign country. She put $62,000 on a credit card, which is more than she made in one year. When the trainer found this out, she was angry and realized that she didn’t know who Anna Delvey was. They had been duped!
A Friend Scammed
Unwelcome
The personal trainer told this alleged heiress socialite to leave. Cleverly, Anna left behind her laptop in an attempt to get back in. However, the trainer left that computer at the front desk. Still, Anna stayed in the lobby, begging to see the trainer, and that’s when things went bad for Anna.
Unwelcome
An Intervention
Soon, no hotel in that city was open to her because she had no money. She asked a lawyer if she could stay with him and his wife, but he said no. Still, the lawyer called Anna’s trainer, who also said she couldn’t stay there. She did invite Anna to a restaurant for an intervention of other people Anna stole from.
An Intervention
Payback
This intervention was harsh. Anna had stolen thousands upon thousands of dollars from her colleagues and friends. She claimed she could pay everyone back when the lease for the foundation was signed, but her friends told her that the location was already rented to someone else. She didn’t believe it, and then something truly drastic happened!
Payback
The Con
At this point, there were articles about Anna Delvey, and they were mean. Anna didn’t like them and claimed everyone was lying. She continued to stick to her story, but Rachael wasn’t convinced and emailed the district attorney’s office, saying she thought Anna was a con artist.
The Con
The First Arrest
Soon, Anna was arrested for outstanding hotel bills. The newspapers had a field day, but Anna got a lawyer and received bail. Somehow, she was able to get funds and went to California but was arrested again in Malibu. There, she was sent to New York for six counts of attempted grand larceny and grand larceny.
The First Arrest
The Truth
Anna was then sent to Rikers Island without bail. She was awaiting trial, with a 15-year potential sentence. She wasn’t a German heiress and is really Anna Sorokin. In reality, she was born in 1991 in Russia and came from a working-class family.
The Truth
The Plea
Once caught, Anna still tried to charm her way out of jail. She asked for a plea deal, but the judge rejected it. Instead, he countered with three to nine years. Delvey/Sorokin turned it down.
The Plea
No Remorse
Diane Kiesel, the trial judge, claimed that Anna showed no remorse and that her initial plea was a slap on the wrist. Unfortunately, the judges were out for blood and wanted to throw the full book at her. That could mean 15 years in jail!
No Remorse
Netflix
Netflix has claimed that it’s making a series based on Anna’s life. One judge says that Anna’s more concerned about the actress playing her than her actual crimes!
Netflix
The Sociological Experiment
According to Sorokin’s lawyer, Anna is a unicorn in jail. She’s made many friends and likes murderers above all else. In fact, one inmate stole other people’s identities, and Anna realized how easy it was! Did she just learn more tricks?
The Sociological Experiment
Park Avenue South
Anna’s dream for the Anna Delvey Foundation has fallen through. The space she planed to use was leased to a Swedish photography company, Fotografiska. However, Anna still talks about opening the foundation and admits she did a few wrong things. How did she manage it, though?
Park Avenue South
How She Did It
Experts on the case believe she scammed banks, hotels, and people for $275,000. Allegedly, she used false documents to get bank loans and floated bad checks. Maybe her plan was to pay it all, but it’s probably wishful thinking.
How She Did It
Ingenious
The way she fooled everyone was ingenious. From false documents, check-kiting, loans, and friends, she lived a lavish lifestyle and swindled thousands of dollars. However, she had to get caught. Once the foundation got off the ground, she could have gotten away with it.
Ingenious
Mail Me
Many posts have appeared on her Instagram account since she was imprisoned. While she’s probably not responding, the content is interesting. She seems to get all the attention and fame. Anna encourages others to write to her behind bars. Who knows? The person posting stuff might be another fake Delvey!
Mail Me