Whatever Happened To 'Fake Heiress' Anna Delvey?
In 2018, the world was introduced to Anna Delvey via an article from New York Magazine by journalist Jessica Pressler. The story was captivating and stranger than fiction — a woman posing as a German heiress had managed to swindle hundreds of thousands of dollars and scam her way into a lavish New York lifestyle. Anna Delvey, whose real name is Anna Sorokin (she simply made "Delvey" up), tricked banks and friends and lenders into giving her money to start an elite art-focused club, and to fund her expensive taste in clothes, restaurants, and hotels.
Delvey, who was born to a middle-class family in Moscow and raised in Germany, was eventually arrested and convicted, but by then she had already captured the attention of the public. Many were fascinated by her story, as well as her chic fashion sense, garnering her millions of followers on social media. Netflix even created a series about her, "Inventing Anna," starring Julia Garner and helmed by Shonda Rhimes. From her difficult-to-place accent to her ubiquitous thick-rimmed glasses, Delvey's image was ripe for both parody and idolization.
Now that Delvey has served her prison sentence and is in the process of appealing a deportation order, she continues to lead an intriguing life. Read on to find out what happened to the wily, mysterious, and always well-dressed Anna Delvey.
Anna Delvey was released from prison in 2021
In April 2019, Anna Delvey was found guilty of eight charges against her, including second-degree grand larceny, one count of first-degree attempted grand larceny, and theft of services. While she was acquitted of other serious charges, including grand larceny related to a $22 million loan and theft of $60,000 from a friend who paid for an expensive Marrakesh vacation, Delvey still faced up to 15 years in prison.
Devley, who was praised on social media for her chic courtroom looks, was ultimately sentenced to four to 12 years at Rikers Island. A day after her sentencing, she told The New York Times, "The thing is, I'm not sorry. I'd be lying to you and to everyone else and to myself if I said I was sorry for anything."
While Delvey's crimes and subsequent lack of remorse make her seem less than likable, it turns out she can be quite sweet. Julia Garner, the actor who portrayed Delvey in Netflix's "Inventing Anna," visited the faux heiress in prison and told Town & Country, "She was extremely charming. She's very gentle. But then her voice gets less soft-spoken when she wants something." Delvey was released from prison on good behavior in February 2021. When asked about the first thing she did upon her release, she told "20/20," "They brought me my phone, so I got on social media."
She overstayed her visa and was detained by ICE
Although Anna Delvey seemed poised to return to life as she knew it after being released from prison, she would face another setback before she was free. In March 2021, just a month after her release, Delvey was arrested and detained by U.S. immigration authorities for overstaying her visa and spent 17 months in an ICE detention facility.
The unusual and glamorous nature of Delvey's case, and the woman herself, had already garnered much media attention, including an entire fictionalized Netflix series. Delvey's notoriety was part of the reason she was deemed not a flight risk and was allowed freedom from ICE custody. A judge stated that "her status as a public figure will make it particularly difficult for her to avoid detection."
Delvey was released on bail in October 2022, but she still faces the threat of deportation back to Germany where she is a citizen. Additionally, Delvey's freedom came with some serious stipulations. She had to pay $10,000 in bail, and one condition of her release was a social media ban. That had to have been rough on Delvey, whose Instagram account has over a million followers. Delvey's theory as to why she was banned from using social media is interesting. "What I believe is that they were trying to give me as many opportunities to fail so they could rearrest me ... a bit of a setup," she told "Entertainment Tonight."
Anna Delvey is under house arrest in her NYC apartment
One major condition of Anna Delvey's release from immigration detention was that she be monitored 24 hours a day, confined to her home with an ankle monitor. The fake heiress, who was once known for her jet-setting lifestyle, is now under house arrest in her East Village apartment in New York City.
Delvey has been making the most of her time at her home, telling "Entertainment Tonight" that she's "actually pretty busy." She wakes up early, catches up with friends in Europe, and, since she doesn't cook (although she did learn to bake cookies while in prison), having healthy meals delivered. "I'm not allowed to leave so I have to order everything in. So I'm using Uber Eats, or DoorDash, or Caviar, or people bring me stuff," she said.
It seems as if it's the little things that Delvey appreciates now that she has at least a bit of freedom. She shared with Variety that her favorite daily ritual was her skin care routine. "I find it very relaxing," she said. She added, "I'm big on skin care, and I've been missing skin care a lot while I was in jail."
She launched her own podcast
Of course, a hustler like Anna Delvey is not one to waste time, even while under house arrest. The always-ambitious Delvey has launched a weekly podcast series called "The Anna Delvey Show," a project she'd been envisioning for a while. "I wanted to start recording in jail, actually, over the jail phone," she told The Associated Press. "Because you know there are some rappers who record whole albums while being incarcerated."
The podcast, which debuted in June 2023, is recorded in Delvey's apartment since she is only allowed to leave her home for parole check-ins and other court-mandated appointments. But being stuck at home has not hindered Delvey from getting guests to appear on her show. In fact, she says her unique circumstances have helped her attract a variety of different people to interview.
"I guess just because of my quote-unquote notoriety, it's easy for me to get guests. I can get pretty much anybody up here," she told the AP. So far Delvey's guests have included comedian Whitney Cummings, writer Kenny Schachter, and writer Natasha Stagg, among others.
Anna Delvey has made a living selling her artwork
Since it was revealed after her 2017 arrest that Anna Delvey was not the wealthy heiress she claimed to be, and the fallout from her ensuing legal cases has cost her quite a bit of money, how does she afford her New York City apartment? Once again, Delvey's entrepreneurial spirit came in handy, and she began selling sketches she had done while in prison.
Delvey attended the prestigious Central Saint Martins in London to study fashion and is a talented artist. "I'm poking fun at myself and the events I've been through," she told "Entertainment Tonight" about her sketches, which have a fashion feel to them.
Delvey claimed in an interview with Forbes that her original artwork has sold for up to $25,000. Her prints are less expensive, but she's sold enough that her art was a viable income source. She's even had some celebrity buyers, including Chloe Fineman, who impersonated Delvey in a skit on "Saturday Night Live."
She had a birthday bash while confined to her home
Although it's been years since Anna Delvey schemed her way into the upper echelon of New York circles, apparently you can't take the social out of the socialite. For her 32nd birthday in January 2023, Delvey threw herself a party dubbed "Club House Arrest." The soiree took place at Delvey's apartment and invitations mimicked a New York Post cover, complete with a photo of Delvey's feet clad in chic heels with her ankle monitor on prominent display.
According to Page Six, guests were required to sign nondisclosure agreements and provide their social security numbers as well. It was reported that those unwilling to share their info with a convicted scammer used fake numbers or left that part blank. Nonetheless, it appeared that those in attendance had a fabulous time.
Among the partygoers were designer Cynthia Rowley, Rowley's daughter Kit Keenan, writers and nightlife fixtures Rachel Rabbit White and Cat Marnell, and others. A source told Page Six, "People were waiting outside on the street to get in. There was full door security and a clipboard person." It sounds very exclusive.
Anna Delvey found herself in more legal trouble
Even though it appears as if Anna Delvey's time out of prison has been both fun and productive, legal trouble has continued to follow the former grifter. In June 2023, it was reported that Delvey's one-time lawyer Audrey Thomas was suing Delvey for unpaid legal fees.
Thomas, who represented Delvey in her immigration case but was later fired, claimed that Delvey owed her upward of $152,000, according to the New York Post.
Delvey filed her own suit against Thomas back in 2022, accusing the attorney of withholding audio recordings of her deportation hearings as well as some of Delvey's personal belongings. During a court hearing in connection with Delvey's lawsuit, Thomas collapsed in court and was taken to the hospital. At that point, Thomas had already been disbarred for allegedly stealing funds from an elderly client. But that did not necessarily mean Delvey was off the hook. Thomas has stated, "The disbarment ... does not negate the balance that [Anna Delvey] owes," according to court documents.
She teamed up with an icon in the fashion world
Although Anna Delvey doesn't have the best reputation as far as business goes, her "quote-unquote notoriety" has given her the opportunity to take part in some cool collaborations. After learning about Delvey from her daughter, fashion publicist Kelly Cutrone knew she wanted to work with her. "She's a genius. She understands the media and brands and communication," Cutrone told Interview.
The pair teamed up for a pop-up agency called OutLaw, which represents designer Shao Yang. "It might just be a one-off thing, but it might actually become a real business where we do special projects," Cutrone said. "I mean, who wouldn't hire us?"
For her part, Delvey was pretty star-struck by Cutrone and jumped at the chance to work alongside her. "I was watching her show when I was still a teenager in Germany," Delvey said, referring to Bravo's reality series "Kell on Earth." With Cutrone's no-nonsense attitude and Delvey's inexhaustible drive to rehab her image, it seems like the perfect pairing.
Anna Delvey made music with a TikTok star
Anna Delvey is nothing if not industrious, and she has been dipping her toes in all forms of media since her release from prison. In July 2023, Delvey lent her vocals to a song titled "What the Hell," sung by TikTok star and country musician Brooke Butler. Delvey's distinct voice saying, "My name is Anna Delvey," serves as the song's intro, and audio from a phone call Delvey made while serving time at Rikers Island is featured in the song as well.
"What the Hell" was written by Audio Up CEO and producer Jared Gutstadt, who told Deadline, "It's a fun song and I know a lot of folks will be curious to hear this side of Anna."
While Delvey's contribution to the tune is undeniably minimal, it's clear she liked how it came out. "What the Hell" is the theme song for her podcast, "The Anna Delvey Show."
She hosted a rooftop show during New York Fashion Week
Anna Delvey's one-bedroom East Village apartment is not only the place where she spends all her time on house arrest, making business moves and hosting the occasional party. Thanks to her collab with PR fashion star Kelly Cutrone, Delvey's modest home became a part of 2023's New York Fashion Week, as the duo held a fashion show on the roof of the building.
The show, which featured clothing from up-and-coming designer Shao Yang, took place on September 11 and had its fair share of behind-the-scenes drama. For starters, Cutrone didn't realize how small Delvey's apartment was. "It's really small, so I kind of overshot the mark as a producer to start with, and that's what pushed us onto the rooftop," Cutrone told People.
Because the space was limited, models got ready at a separate venue and were bused to Delvey's place. Unfortunately, the bus arrived 40 minutes late, all the while rain threatened to put a literal damper on the whole event. Luckily, everything worked out in the end, with Delvey and Cutrone taking their bows before hosting an after-party right there on the roof. The collaboration with Cutrone put Delvey in the spotlight once again, and she seemed to be truly enjoying it. "Nothing has felt like work," Delvey shared with People. "Kelly's nonstop, but I'm the same way."