Infamous wannabe Manhattan ‘it-girl’
Anna Sorokin posed as a wealthy German heiress named Anna Devely while living in New York. She was arrested in Los Angeles in October 2017 for grand larceny and theft. Anna Sorokin was born in Russia in 1991 and moved to Germany in 2007. She was from a middle-class family, her father owned a heating and cooling business and her mom owned a convenience store. Anna wanted to build an empire, she wanted to be someone. She was a very smart girl who fooled the rich. Even though she lost friends throughout her lifetime she only cared for herself and how it can benefit her. Her friends were fond of her at first but quickly realized she isn’t who she say she is. Neff her “closest” friend had a unique friendship and are friends to this day. Neff helped Anna get invited to these elite places and Anna inspired Neff to go after her dreams. Yes, Anna scammed people but in the end, she only wanted to prove that women can also be the greatest and achieve an empire. She created the idea of the ADF Foundation a private club for wealthy people, like Soho House. It was a dream of hers she had great ideas for this foundation to come to life. She knew how to convince investors and others to agree with her ideas. Sadly her lies caught up to her. The foundation was never created. Anna knew she didn’t have the money in the world but she stayed in hotels splurged took trips and even stole a private jet to fly herself to Omaha for a conference. She would always make an excuse saying because her money is coming from Europe it takes time or the banks in America suck. She promised people to pay them back she never really did in full. She only lasted 4 years in prison she was found guilty of 8 charges: including attempted grand larceny in the first degree, grand larceny in the second degree, grand larceny in the third degree, and theft of services. That May, she was sentenced to 4 to 12 years in state prison, fined $24,000, and ordered to pay restitution of about $199,000. Shortly after her prison release, Sorokin was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for overstaying her visa in March 2021. Now she’s on house arrest and can’t post any content on social media. A Russian girl who was smart enough to fool people but didn’t realize it would catch up to her.
Work Cited
Gibson, Kelsie. “Where Is Anna Delvey Now? All about the Fake Heiress’ Life after Prison.” Peoplemag, PEOPLE, 6 June 2023, https://people.com/where-is-anna-delvey-now-7508970
Pressler, Jessica. “How an Aspiring ‘it’ Girl Tricked New York’s Party People – and Its Banks.” The Cut, The Cut, 9 Feb. 2022, https://www.thecut.com/article/how-anna-delvey-tricked-new-york.html
