Anna Delvey was a fake German heiress created by Anna Sorokin, who pretended to be a socialite. Sorokin was convicted in 2019 of bilking companies out of $275,000 during a 10-month spending spree, and spent time behind bars.
Sorokin was born in Russia but lived in Germany before moving to the United States in 2013, according to ABC News. Prosecutors said at her trial that she used her fake identity “to swindle Manhattan’s elite, gaining access to exclusive parties, nightclubs and hotels,” ABC reported. She was accused of defrauding businesses of about $275,000, including hotels, restaurants, banks and a private jet company, the news outlet reported.
The story is gaining popularity after Netflix released its 2022 miniseries, “Inventing Anna.”
ABC 20/20 also dug into the case in an episode, “The Sinfluencer of Soho,” which aired Friday, October 1, 2021, at 9 p.m. Eastern time.
Here’s what you need to know:
Sorokin Used Her Instagram Account to Back Up Her Fake Persona, & Still Uses the Handle ‘Anna Delvey’
Sorokin has an active Instagram profile which uses the name “The Anna Delvey.” The profile says “Reinventing Anna / Professional Defendant.” It was Sorokin’s Instagram profile, in part, that landed her more time in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Insider reported.
An immigration judge ruled in April that Sorokin should remain in ICE custody, taking action that sided with an ICE attorney, according to Insider. The attorney pointed to Sorokin’s Instagram page, saying her posts indicate she had not been rehabilitated. The judge determined Sorokin should remain in Bergen County jail in New Jersey, describing her as a “danger to society,” her attorney, Audrey A. Thomas, told Insider.
Sorokin was released from prison in February 2021 and taken into ICE custody in March. She does not have any new Instagram posts since March.
Sorokin posted several times in March. In her last post on March 23, 2021, she wrote, “They already told you I own this lawless f****** city.”
She posted several days earlier on March 13, 2021, writing, “30 days out, over this s*** already.”
Sorokin’s Friend, Rachel DeLoache Williams, Said Delvey’s Instagram Profile Backed Up Her Story
Rachel DeLoache Williams, a former friend of Sorokin who testified against her at trial, said it was the woman’s Instagram profile, in part, which seemed to back up her story of wealth and status, during an interview with Harper’s Bazaar.
“Anna didn’t post on Instagram that regularly, but before I met her I saw that she had 40,000 something followers and that gave her a base line of validity in my mind. That and the fact that she knew my friends,” Williams told Harper’s Bazaar. “It served as an instant background check which isn’t reliable, obviously. It’s interesting to think about whether or not social media impacted Anna’s desire to simulate this lifestyle that perhaps she had seen online and on social media.”
Williams told the publication that her experiences taught her about herself, and caused her to reflect on the use of social media.
She told the publication she learned to check her tendency to be “very trusting and look for the good and want to believe people.”
“I need to check that and try to see what’s right in front of me,” Williams told the publication. “Also, I’ve learnt not to believe everything you see on social media. You can’t know someone based on their highlights reel, or this curated version of themselves. While these things may have happened, and I’m certainly addicted to Instagram, a person’s Instagram feed is not reflective of their entire being or lifestyle.”
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