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DECEPTION: The Heiress Who Never Was: Anna Delvey

62m 43s

DECEPTION: The Heiress Who Never Was: Anna Delvey

Anna Delvey, born Anna Serokin, is one of the most audacious con artists in modern history. Born in Moscow and raised in a working-class German town, she grew up feeling isolated and bullied, fueling her obsession with wealth and image. Influenced by figures like Marie Antoinette and Regina George, she developed a relentless desire to appear rich and powerful. After moving to London and Paris, she forged a fabricated identity as a wealthy German aristess, using charm, fashion, and strategic lies to infiltrate elite New York circles. She convinced friends, hotels, and banks that she had a vast trust fund and real connections, borrowing money, paying for luxury stays, and even creating a detailed 80-page business plan for her "Anna Delvey Foundation." She used fake documents, forged emails, and fictional assistants to deceive financial institutions, including banks and private equity firms, to secure funding. Over time, her deception became evident—credit cards were declined, debts grew, and she failed to repay friends or cover hotel bills. When exposed during a luxury vacation in Morocco, her lies unraveled, leading to a massive financial scandal. Rachel Williams, a close friend, discovered the truth and pursued legal action, only to face indifference from authorities, who could not intervene due to jurisdictional limits. Despite being caught, Anna maintained her defense, claiming she was a victim of a targeted witch hunt. The case illustrates the power of belief, confidence, and manipulation in deception, and raises questions about how society responds to fraud that appears so believable. It remains a cautionary tale of ambition, delusion, and the fine line between audacity and crime.

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Hi everyone, before today's episode, we want to tell you about What the Fact. It's a new show from Conor Tomlinson, who you know from Netflix's Love on the Spectrum, and Carter Roy from Murder, True Crime Stories. Every week they take three unbelievable true facts from history and tell you the full story behind them. Conor's infectious energy will make you realize history is the most fascinating thing on Earth. Follow What the Fact, wherever you listen, or subscribe on YouTube at What the Fact is, and you'll find out more about what you've been doing at What the Fact is. This is Crime House. Imagine walking into the most exclusive hotel in New York City, ordering anything you want, staying for months, flying on private jets, parting with celebrities, pitching a $25 million business idea, and convincing everyone around you that you are an RS to a German dynasty. In reality though, you have no money. You don't even have a working credit card. Welcome to Crimes of Deception. I'm Sabrina Deanna Roga, I'm Corinne Vien, and this season we are diving into stories where ambition, ego, and a little bit of delusion turn everyday schemes into headlines. And in this case, it is a story of a woman who might hold the world record for audacity, but almost pulled off one of the most outrageous scams in modern history. Almost. Almost. She was so close. Subscribe now and step inside the world of Crimes of. The case of Anna Delvey starts now. Welcome to Crimes of Deception, a crime house original powered by paved studios where your hosts Sabrina Deanna Roga and Corinne Vien. Every Tuesday we're exploring a different corner of the true crime universe examining cases that left a permanent impact on society. And this season, we are stepping into some of the boldest and most unbelievable crimes ever committed. The kinds of crimes where reality is stranger than any fiction. If you're loving Crimes of, please follow rate and review us wherever you listen. It helps us build this community and we love hearing from you. To get early access and add free listening, subscribe to the Crimes house plus community on Apple Podcasts. And you can also catch us on YouTube where we include visuals that bring every case to life. Today we're getting into the case of Anna Sorokin, or as she's better known, Anna Delvey. When she popped up in the New York social scene in the mid 2010s, Anna convinced everyone that she was a wealthy German aress. She used that reputation to her advantage, swindling friends, hotels, even major banks out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. But eventually, Anna's scheme was exposed and she traded her luxury apartment for a prison cell. Today's case is that it's pretty well known. It is the case of Anna Delvey. And it really is one of the most audacious crimes ever committed because Anna Delvey didn't just lie to people. No, she walked into rooms like she absolutely belonged there. And honestly, most of the time, people believed her. And you kind of have to respect the confidence there. Absolutely. I consider myself equal parts impressed, baffled, and also amused by this case. Like, I could never write. But Anna could. So few people could ever. No, Anna is one of a kind. She is. It's hard to be mad at her for this crime, honestly. I agree. She stayed in luxury hotels, partied with New York elite, and bluffed her way through the highest levels of society. What made Anna so different from most scammers was how close she came to making this whole thing real. But like most of the cases this season and the reason that we're able to talk about them in depth, like we are, is that everything was going so well until it failed spectacularly. And now Anna's story is on display for the whole world to see. I know that we both have opinions about the case. Like I kind of feel like she was used as an example, like the rich people took her down because they were pissed that she got them. So are you suggesting that there are other people who are doing the same thing, but aren't pissing the rich people off as much and they're just letting them or I'm suggesting. And because this is backed up by fact that there are rich people who are fucking over people who aren't rich all the time. Oh, well yes, but this woman Anna made like a public display and like made them fools. And they were like, no, no, no, we can't stand for that. Yeah. No, I agree with you. It's also hard because it wasn't like she was just going after a couple of individuals or specifically friends, like their corporations and totally hotels and banks and she was gaming whoever she could. Which I kind of respect. I do feel that there's like, there are some victims of this crime that I do feel bad for. But for the most part, I don't. I'm not afraid to say it. It was like a two cents to some of these people that she's borrowing. But yes, you know, you shouldn't sell money from anyone. However, by disagree, there's some people we should steal money from. Like even after everything and like we'll obviously get into crime and like get into context in case anyone doesn't know who Anna Delvia is or her crimes. But like when she came out of prison spoiler alert alert. And she like wouldn't talk but was walking around with like fashion designers who would talk on her behalf. She like she has swag. She has charisma. She like exudes. She doesn't have to see anything. And you're like, who is that? Like I was infatuated just watching her do nothing. Which is media. Exactly. Why? She almost pulled it off. Yeah. Okay. Oh man. If we could go back in time. We would be rooting for you. Okay. I feel bad saying that because a crime is a crime. A crime is a crime. Also, there are so many like amazing shows that have been created either documentaries and also there's that Netflix series called Inventing Anna highly recommend them. But if you don't know anything about Anna Delvia, we're about to tell you all about her. The sun is setting over Marrakesh, Morocco. Casting a warm glow across the courtyard of La Mamonia. A famous five star luxury resort. And this is the type of place that billionaire celebrities and royalties stay at. Not middle class photographers like Rachel Williams. But here she is. Sipping on a nice cold glass of iced tea. And she can hardly believe this is her life. She could never afford a vacation like this. Yet here she is. In a private villa where anything you want arrives the moment you ask for it. Champagne by the pool in the afternoon? Sure. Late night room service, you can have it. Spa treatments, shopping trips, fresh fruit, you want it, they have it. This is a trip of a lifetime and Rachel feels so much gratitude for her friend, Anna Delvia. If it weren't for Anna, a German aress with a massive trust fund and money to burn, Rachel would be back in New York stuck in her small city apartment. Rachel looks over to Anna who lounges effortlessly with a glass of champagne. She is the definition of luxury. Now it's the sixth day of their trip and they wake up to a knock at the villa door. When Rachel goes to see who it is, it's not room service or housekeeping. It's hotel management and they do not look happy. They push their way inside demanding to speak to Anna Delvia. The credit card she gave them, it doesn't work. Anna laughs. She's cool as a cucumber, claiming it must be a mistake, swipe it again. And Rachel wants to believe Anna. She has no reason to doubt her, except Anna's card didn't work the other day. And the day before that, either. And Rachel had to cover a couple of things, but Anna promised she'd pay her back. Management explains they tried to swipe the card multiple times. They don't believe Anna's story and they're mad. It is time to pay up. And when Rachel sees the bill, it's not a small one. Anna owes tens of thousands of dollars. This is one of those moments where, as someone who's perpetually on TikTok, that sound audio where it's kind of a record scratch and it's like, you may be wondering how I got here. Literally this. This feels like one of those moments. Yeah. You go holy shit, am I going to get out of here? And Rachel, I mean Anna, a couple of other people are the victims I genuinely feel bad for in this story, in this story specifically. Yeah. But in this moment that Rachel Williams realizes that there was a lot that her friend, Anna Delby, was not telling her, starting with the fact that Anna Delby was not even her friend's real name. In fact, pretty much everything Anna had said about her life was a lie. Everyone believed that Anna was this mysterious German air ask with millions of dollars to her name. And for a while, she used that reputation to her advantage. She would con her way to the top of New York Elite Society and commenced and tricked everyone she met along the way. But it was only a matter of time before the truth came out in this case is so wild. Because, I mean, we've talked about it a couple of times, but like the like brazen, delusional confidence and audacity you have to have to tell lies like this and live a life like this without suffering the anxiety that comes with it. Yeah. That's why I just don't even understand. I'm like, is she a compulsive liar? For sure. I think yes. I mean, I'm not a psychologist, but yes. But it like feels like so beyond. Yeah. It's just, it's wild. Yeah. So to answer, how does one get so confident in lying, we have to go back to the beginning when Anna Delby was still Anna Sirroken growing up somewhere. it was very far from the glitz and glam. - I feel like in a way, this could serve as a self help, like believe in yourself, fake it till you make it. - Fake it till you make it. - This is like the classic New York story. I arrived to New York with $10 in my pocket. - You're a smoker now? (laughing) - You're 65 years old. - I arrived in 1909. (laughing) - I've done this to my new. - I was selling pictures of my toes. (laughing) - The first of the business. (laughing) - But that is not what Anna Sorokin did. She was born in 1991 in a gray, industrial suburb of Moscow, Russia. Her dad was a truck driver, her mom was a shopkeeper. So they were hardworking people. They liked their life, but this didn't mean that they couldn't want for more and to change her circumstances. Anna's dad wanted to build a better life for them. And in 2007, when Anna was 16, they moved to a small blue collar town in Germany called Eschfiller. But Anna didn't respond in the way that her father had hoped that she would. The move was really hard on her, especially because she didn't speak German. - That's very difficult. - That is extremely difficult. And German's obviously also not an easy language. Some of her classmates were remembering her as being quite awkward, very quiet. Which like obviously you're gonna be awkward and quiet if you have no idea what anyone's saying around you. - I was quiet and awkward and I knew exactly what people were saying. I still am in social situations. - Yes, not in smile. - But she had a reputation for actually being a bully 'cause she was taking all these securities about her situation and really lashing out of people for it. - She was angry. - Yes, she was. She even admitted that she picked out one girl in her class specifically to just torment for no reason. So she was bullied and she goes up to it. - Also, I learned that Anna had a couple of idols growing up and I feel like it speaks to who she became very well. - She was obsessed with two people. Marie Antoinette and Regina George from Mean Girls. - Oh my God. - The Mean Girl from Mean Girls. - She is so Regina George. - And it's all the woodware cargo pants and flip flops. So I would wear cargo pants and flip flops too. - 100%. It makes sense that these are her idols considering her behavior. She loved their confidence, their wealth and how they almost always got their way. At least until Marie Antoinette was beheaded and Regina George got hit by a bus. - Yeah, that's, she totally forgot the last part of both of those stories. - Yeah, maybe she should have remembered those as warning signs. - It'll put a foreshadowing here, right? The common theme in all of this though is fashion. So Anna loved to sit alone in her room, flipping through copies of Vogue. The models, the socialites, the brands, she wanted it all and she was not going to stop until she got that life. My name's Jack Wagner, host of Other World, a podcast featuring real people who experienced something paranormal, supernatural or unexplained. - I have no idea how I got there. - I don't think I've ever seen anything that looks like this. - It felt like electric stars on fire. - I started Other World to take a grounded approach to the paranormal, help people tell their own stories and encourage more to come forward. I certainly don't have the answers, but maybe one day we will. Join me as we explore our world's greatest mysteries. Listen to Other World now for free wherever you get your podcasts. So step one, she had to get out of the small town and make it to a big city. So when Anna was 18, she left home and moved to London so she could go to art school. She thought this would be the perfect stepping stone to get into fashion. She'd go to art school and then she'd become a fashion mogul. Unfortunately, school is a lot more learning and like history and discussion less doing. And Anna wanted to do. And so she was like, this is not for me. I want to be the fashion. So she dropped out after less than a year and went back to Germany where she decided to work instead. She landed an internship at a PR firm where she was taught all about the art of perception. And this is very important to her. She learned that who you knew mattered, what you wore mattered. And if you wanted to be perceived a certain way, you had to act and play that part. Take it till you make it energy. And one thing Anna always wanted to be was rich. So she learned how wealthy people talked, how they carried themselves, how important it was to walk into a room like you owned it. And that's what she did. She PR'd herself. Yeah. She could teach a master class on the art of perception. 100% Sure. So this PR job led to another internship at a fashion magazine called Purple. And in 2013, she moved to Paris for this job. The pay was not very much like just 400 euros a month, but her parents were helping support her. And Anna's dad had started his own company after moving to Germany. And he was doing well enough to keep her afloat. And it sounds like they really wanted to help her pursue her dreams. Yeah. And Anna was more than happy to take his money, even as she tried to distance herself from her family. So as part of her reinvention, she dropped her last name. So Serokin was out. And now she was calling herself Anna Delvi instead. Interesting. Right. What a pick. What a choice. Yeah. So she thought that this name sounded more expensive, more important. It was a name that people wouldn't question as much as Serokin. There's less syllables, right? Delvi. Serokin, Delvi. It also kind of just sounds a bit famous. You almost sound like Anna Delvi. It flows. Like if someone was like, oh, do you know Anna Delvi? I feel like it'd be like, oh, maybe? Like, it happened. Yeah. Like, it almost feels like you're on the outside if you don't know what the reference is. I don't know. I agree with her on her name. So as part of her internship, Anna was sent to New York for Fashion Week in the summer of 2012. It was supposed to be a short trip, but by the end of it, Anna knew that New York was where she wanted to be. Plus, she and her boyfriend had just broken up. So why would she want to go back to Paris? She could totally just move to New York. There's nothing waiting for her in Paris anymore. Right. Exactly. In Paris, she convinced purple to transfer her to the New York office, where she would work there for a little bit, although it didn't go so well because it was a little bit due to her being fired. It was purple. But Anna knew how to spin this, right? She wasn't just going to be like, oh, I got fired. She quit. Which I'm also so curious like what happened for her to get fired. Yeah. Because she spun the story so much that people like, I feel like you have to dig to find that detail. But she told everyone she quit. Right. And I feel like having worked on the HR side of many businesses, there's not much to entice a company to outwardly come out and say why they fired. Because it opens you up to being sued. So we may never know the truth about a lot of what Anna has gone through. But yeah. So she basically was like, no, I quit. And I'm not unemployed. I'm just freeing myself up to look for the next bigger, better thing. And as for that next big thing, she crossed paths with someone who was just as obsessed with image as she was, Billy McFarland. And if you're like, wait, I think I know that name, but what's that name from? He's the Fire Fest guy. And obviously Fire Fest could be its whole own episode, but here's a quick version. Billy ran a scam before Fire Fest, where in 2013, he created this like elite credit card at that targeted millennials who wanted to live the high life. So in exchange for $250 annual fee, members got access to like a ton of cool perks. Like a fancy Soho townhouse where Billy would throw massive parties and celebrity guests and all these things. It was a scam. Anna loved that. She was not about to pass it up. And she and Billy got so close to the point where she would crash on his sofa for a while. And then naturally the world learned who Billy was and that he didn't have any money to pay for that clubhouse or those parties and that the entire company was a sham. So I think Anna started to like distance herself. And it's not clear whether or not she knew Billy was scamming, probably not like she probably bought into it the same way everyone else did me, but also like I'm thinking obviously after the fact we have documentaries interviewing both of them after things happen. Yeah. And I feel like she lies upon lies, but it almost feels like I'm just I'm making observations that are like personal to me. So I don't know if this is actually how she operates and what she believes, but my perception of her is that she's reading someone and she's just continuing to do bigger lies and keep going to try to convince them. So like she's trying to read the room. Whereas I felt like all of the interviews I was watching on Billy, I was like, do you understand what he got to a point where like he didn't understand like he's not as smart as she is. Yeah. I felt like she was, she was good at manipulation. Yeah. And he was not. He was just kind of flying by the seat of his pants and being like, well, this make me money. Well, this work and the answer was, was this wrong? Well, the point being, I think like Anna also whether she knew about his crimes or not saw him as her access to celebrities and like this like elite society and what a perfect combo because that's who he wanted to be. He wanted to be people's access to that. Right. Just desperate to be rich and famous and thanks to Billy, she was introduced to this crowd. And she knew that to keep meeting the right people, she had to look the part plus she loved fashion. So Anna Delvey would only ever wear designer clothes and accessories Gucci sandals, Blenciaga Toads, which is not cheap, like I don't know how she was buying all of this. She was probably just maxing out a lot of credit cards. I also don't really know if this is her real accent or if she developed a different accent because like one of the big things about Anna Delvie is that she spoke in this like unknown she sounds like no one else which also like she moved quite a few times like maybe there's like a mix of accents well yeah if you consider a native Russian speaker who had to learn German and was influenced by mean girls and probably like the hills and the beach and like Valley girl drama and stuff to learn English right so she had this very distinctive accent and she acted rich but she was also very charming she had a laugh that people often said was disarming so even if she said something offensive which was quite often she disarmed people by the way she like laughed and charmed them afterwards and then while she acted rich and snappy this is something that I really liked about her is that she was also extremely generous like she would tip which is also part of like her performance but she would tip like the Bellman and like hotel people and even taxi drivers a hundred dollar bills like Chris bills all the time so after leaving Billy's couch Anna took up residence at a new soho hotel called 11 Howard and she was again generous and kind to the staff here and even befriended an employee named Neff and to Neff Anna seemed like the real deal she was confident to stylish and it was an entrepreneur she was basically more than just her friend she was an inspiration to her and also to Neff Anna was rich as hell now Anna insists that she never told anyone that she was actually an iris to a large fortune but we question that because how did everyone come up with the same exact backstory for Anna if she never said anything right either way Anna made everyone believe that she was ultra rich which kept her background ambiguous and she kind of like let people fill in the blanks there and some people were like oh her father's a diplomat other people are like no he was an oil tycoon or no I heard he was an antique stealer so there was a lot of like mystery and I think that she was like bitchy and sarcastic in the best way where she almost got away with not answering things or like answering things in a way that sounded sarcastic where people would just like drop it and then not know if her answer was real or not interesting from all of the content that I've consented and it'll be over there is a lot yeah so no one really knew the whole story but they could tell that she was this rich kid with a big trust fund and even bigger ambitions and the truth was that she had no job she had no money but nobody knew that which in my mind it's still so wild that she got to wait with all of this because I'm like if you have no money how do you get the money to do all of this right despite not having a job and I had a dream dream is to be famous basically it's a rich a socialite but I actually like her like what she was proposing yes that's true because this part is like a legitimate part of her plan so her dream was to start her own private members only club that would be part gallery part event space and part social hub for the elite and it would be called the Anna Delby Foundation and this wasn't necessarily a pipe dream either like she was making actual plans to try to make this happen she wanted to open it in New York and then would eventually expand to LA she put together an 80-page proposal that went through every aspect of her plan so like by all means this was a legitimate business plan and something that she felt passionate about it also exists like Soho House like the Ned these are places that have multiple locations in Boston there's the Quinn like they're like members only elite places where you can go and it also like helps with her ultimate goal of like brushing shoulders and being amongst the rich yeah so she'd already picked out a place for this social house to exist it was the church missions house which was a historic six-story landmark on Park Avenue and she told everyone that she already had the lease to it so like she was already part way there to having her dream business become a reality and the reason that she had access to this and got a lease was because she had a connection to the son of famed Spanish architect Santiago color Java who she had met in 2015 and here's where the confidence part of the con and being a car artist comes in and it was so sure of herself that literally no one was like wait how did you get this lease are you sure you're in that building no one questioned it there's no question to that and already have the lease right and also like she was so good at like finding the right person and like right name even if she had no connection to them she knew who to use as a reference she knew who to say that was it gave her enough credibility yeah so she's smart you have to give it yeah okay so spoiler alert and then of it was true but she was on track to getting funding for the project she got friends of friends to put her in touch with high-powered law firm called Gibson done and they were working with her to secure funding for her project so Anna taught herself just enough financial jargon to sound like she knew what she was talking about and she came off like the real deal she told everyone that she had invested 25 million dollars of her own money into it and made everyone believe that her bank overseas would give a letter of like proof of funds I obviously don't know anything about starting a social house or something like this but I'm like you invested 25 million of your own money like to where it doesn't seem like enough how much more money do you need right what did that buy I don't know again nobody questioned it from the outside it looked legitimate she was ambitious that in the sheer scale of a project like this would be hard for even a seasoned real estate developer to pull off and Anna was 23 years old she had zero track record of ever doing this before but she had so much confidence and people who knew her really believed like she put off this energy and persona of that's the type of woman who will literally and can literally do anything and she believed that herself and she was just getting started but as she was securing funding for her big idea she was also wracking up quite the bill at the hotel she was staying at 11 Howard finally after a couple of months of living at the hotel the front desk realized that they didn't have a credit card on file which it was a new hotel so like you know they probably whoops we forgot or she probably also charmed her way into like making them forget to grab her credit card right she's like breathing past being like oh I already told your front desk person right so she comes into the hotel one day and they're like hey we never grabbed the credit card from you like hey do you mind bringing it and she's like oh no worries I will wire money to pay for the bill but that wire never came and Anna kept having excuses the hotel kept questioning her this bill is now 30 thousand dollars not a single cent had been paid but Anna was tipping a hundred dollar bills to anyone in everyone so surely she had the money right so now Neff who worked at 11 Howard and his Anna's friend is encouraged by hotel management to like talk to Anna because they're like this is us we need right so Neff does appeal to Anna she's like hey they're getting kind of pissed off like you really should make sure you pay it and again Anna's like yeah yeah yeah and I was like no I'm serious like they're gonna lock you out and hold your possessions until you pay them Anna laughed it off claimed it was just an issue with her trust fund and sent the staff an expensive bottle of Tom Perignon and a probably a little note like a Tata will rectify ASAP and the staff was not pleased they literally returned to send her still unconcerned and unbothered this is like the craziest part about it is how unbothered and unanxious this woman is she just packs her bag and goes on vacation but when she returned 11 Howard had in fact locked her out of her room and taken all of her belongings locked them in storage and refused to give them back until Anna paid her outstanding bill of over 30 thousand dollars so finally with the hotel withholding all of her personal items Anna scrambled together some money she convinced her friend Neff to loan her about four thousand dollars which is so wild because like Neff works for the hotel and is seeing all this happen and is still somehow convinced to and over four thousand dollars so Anna uses this as a partial payment to prove that she would pay the rest she got her personal items back and then she moved to another hotel and she never paid 11 Howard back which is crazy on so many levels like she probably promised Neff like oh it's a issue because this is what she used a lot like it's an issue with my trust fund or overseas wiring right but I'll call the credit card company I was always oh I'll have to yeah and also it's not my fault it's the company it's corporations also on 11 Howard's part I would never take that deal for thousand dollars let me give you all your stuff back on a 30 thousand dollar bill that you owe anyway the benefit here the bright side is that she did eventually pay Neff back which is why we're glad because it's okay if you con the wealthy people I mean it's not okay but in my mind you know well that's I think what got her to get away with so much of this for so long because there were multiple friends so many friends that she borrowed money from she would pay people back or pay partial payments back or it so it was like just enough to be like oh all eventually get it back right or to just keep funding Anna's life so she didn't stop scamming actually she did the same exact hotel scam hotel after hotel so naturally she was only going and staying at the best hotels possible but that's not a problem in New York because there are so many hotels and nowadays most hotels need a credit card for you to sign in but somehow Anna would avoid it she'd like use her connections she would forge documents to say she was good for I like don't understand how she convinced so many people yeah here's the thing not to do my own horn but I'm pretty high up there on the on the Marriott reward words program. I don't think I'm getting anything special. No. They hardly ever give you a free room. No. Yeah. Oh, my breath is on the house. One more bottle of water. $40. In a world where swords were sharp. And hygiene was actually probably better than you think it is. Two fearless historians. Me, Matt Lewis. And me, Dr. Eleanor Yamaga, dive headfirst into the mud, blood, and very strange customs of the Middle Ages. So for plagues, crusades, and Viking raids, and plenty of other things that don't rhyme, subscribe to Gone Medieval from History Hit, wherever you get your podcasts. Somehow, she's convincing. And she always promised to wire them the money. And the hotel, once they would realize that it wasn't coming, she would just be like, OK, and pack up and go to the next hotel. Anna lived in hotels and continued to climb the elite social ladder. And by 2014, Anna Serokin, the failed fashion intern, was no more. She was replaced by Anna Delvey, the eccentric eras to a German dynasty. Anna lived and breathed her lie. She talked endlessly about her plans for the Anna Delvey Foundation and all the meetings that she was taking to make happen, which a lot of these meetings did happen. So like, there is-- again, there's like some truth to things that are happening embedded in like 95% lies. Yeah. Unfortunately, though, no one had invested in this dream of hers yet. But Anna knew that it would only take one big fish to bite to get the ball rolling. And that would not come from meetings. It would come from connections. The right person could open any door. And for Anna, that person was a tech entrepreneur named Hunter Lee Suik. Before Hunter got into tech, he had been a model and a photographer, he was well connected, he was ambitious and wealthy. He was just like Anna, except he actually had money. And I totally understand Anna's mentality where it's like, I'm just going to keep spending money and keep pretending and keep going and hopefully someone will bite. And then I'll be able to pay off all of these debts. Well, it's like, I feel like we get told that, even like in school and just in business and stuff. It's like, you have to collect your nose to get your yes. Which is trying, you never know. Keep racking up credit card debts. Go on chart tank. Until you meet Hunter. And the two of them started dating in 2014 and they became inseparable with Hunter by her side. Anna now wasn't just networking with the city's elite. She was now actually one of them. Hunter introduced her to CEOs, fashion moguls, PR executives, and Hunter paid for that lifestyle that she was desperate for. And anytime anyone asks like, oh, look, why aren't you paying for this? She always had an excuse. She said that her money was tied up in a trust fund that she couldn't access until she turned 25. And since Hunter wasn't strapped for cash, she didn't bat an eye when she asked him to put all the bills. And Anna was happy, more than happy, to take advantage of his generosity. They traveled a ton, they hopped between luxury hotels all over the world and bought really expensive clothes and jewelry on his card, basically acting like someone who had never tacked a price tag in her life. And she would continue to spend his money, but also tip really well with his money. And Anna loved being the type of person who could just throw money around like it was nothing. So she would order drinks for everyone at the bar or even once she had an infrared sauna delivered to her hotel. That does not sound easy or cheap. Right. And you have to be spending so much money at a hotel for them to be like, sure, you can get that delivered. But that's a spoil. Do you see that girl in TikTok traveling with live? No. And it's all her like really high-end clients calling and they have like the most absurd request and they're always yelling at her. Yeah, I wasn't sure if it was real. It's real. I would never take that job. Everyone needs to touch grass, my gosh. But yeah, so I guess she strived to be like that. Just do all of this crazy stuff and see if anyone would stop her and no one ever did. So she just became more and more into this image of being this rich girl who could just do whatever she wanted. But as I say, all good things must come to an end. And in 2016, Anna and Hunter called it quits. But Anna seemed determined to keep living the same lifestyle anyway that Hunter was funding. And she wasn't gonna let being broke to stop her from living that life, right? Oh, it gives me so much stress. Like my heart has been palpitating and it's not even me. But like, how do you do this? I live my life within my means. And even still, I have anxiety about my bills. There have been a few times where my bank of America has said that I'm like below, it was like post-college where it was like, you're $20 in the red. I'm like, I can't eat for days. Even like, I can't. Anna of it is stressful. And like, here she is doing it on a level that I cannot even fathom. She's never had a budget sheet. I can promise you that. In 2016, her credit card started getting declined all over the place, surprise, surprise. For example, in 2016, she hired a PR firm to organize her birthday party at a bougie restaurant and so-ho. But when it came time to pay the bill, her credit card was declined. But you know, these things happen sometimes, right? Of course, she has an excuse. Totally. And everyone knew that Anna was very generous with her money. And so they ignored the red flags, even though there were a lot of them. And her credit cards were being declined often. But ignore that red flag. So when that happened, Anna would ask her friends if she could borrow money from them. And she had a habit of conveniently forgetting to pay them back. She'd ask people to cover her taxi fares or let her sleep at their places for a few days. And then if she did pay someone back, it was always in cash. So that was also like weird and suspicious. And if you're like, how did she get the cash? Is this fake money? No, it's not fake money. But she was depositing fake checks. And then withdrawing the money in cash before they could bounce. That's how she's getting like actual cash. Reasy. It is wild. Again, I feel like I'd never get away with that. No, I wouldn't even know where to begin. I don't even know how to take cash or fraudulent check. How do you do that? So Anna teach us. Yeah. But she was able to get away with it. The banks had all fallen under her spell. And she also, I guess this is the difference. She wasn't going to like a local branch and opening up an account like you were I would do. And she was getting introductions to people. So she was meeting with managing directors of city bank through her rich friends. And this is kind of why it was like, can't you run her credit like check score and see that it's negative something. How do you run anything? She's not a real person. Anna Delvy is not actually. But then how is she getting a bank account? It's literally. How is she doing anything? I do not know. But she presented herself as like this big shot. She was getting intro by people who were legitimate big shots and this added to her credibility, which for city bank in specific, who she owed $90,000 to, it made the managing director of that bank reluctant to chase her down because he thought that she was like someone of high importance. Like he didn't want to upset the other rich people. Right, like I don't want to start something with this whole group. The issue here is the rich people. And that's what it says to me. Although I would love to be rich. I do have to give Anna credit though, like she is brave. She has a lot of, even if it's delusional, she has a lot of confidence. And also she had a way of like partying hard. So she was doing it all. She rubbed shoulders with the elite. It's a full-time job. She would network day and night and like nightlife, which I feel like such an old woman right now like saying this, like I have anxiety by her debt, which is not even mine. And I have anxiety by the lifestyle she was living where she was going out to nightclubs night after night continuing to be in the orbit of all these really wealthy people. You know, I probably shouldn't say this. And my cousin is not a scammer. But this attitude does remind me a little bit of my cousin Mallory who is such a good networker. And like knows everyone. And it's just like always going to these wild parties and all this stuff. And she is really generous and really kind. And she's always invited me like when we lived in LA, she would invite me to these parties all the time. Huge mansions, like people of certain importance and I don't say no 'cause I'm like, I'm scared. How did you even get into this feels, this feels like I'm going to be like, no, I don't belong. Somehow you got in here and they're going to know that I'm not supposed to be there and something's going to go bad. So I never went. - We belong in our beds. - Yeah, safe for there. I can afford California pizza kitchen. I can't afford, maybe. - Okay, but is that one of these nights out at a nightclub in 2016 that Anna met a photographer for Vanity Fair. Her name is Rachel Williams. And Rachel had seen Anna on social media before, but she had never met her in person. So this night when they see each other at the club, she approaches her and they become fast friends. It's like when you make a drunk friend in the bathroom, but they became like real friends. They kept drinking, drink after drink, and then when the time came at the end of the night where the club was shutting down and the bill came, Anna didn't bat an eye, she grabbed the bill, paid for it. - See, she's doing enough that makes you feel like, okay, she's good for everything. - Right. - She's just like terrible, she's got horrible luck. - Yeah. - She did seem like she was befriending people who were actually living the lifestyle she should have been living. Like she, like Neff, for example, and Rachel, they were more middle class, like working the right up in an industry and those are the people she seemed to get really close to, which is interesting 'cause it's like she's putting on this air of being this like snobby, spoiled rich kid. And yet, you would like almost assume that she would deem certain people as beneath her and not give them any. tension or peace of mind, and yet those are the people she's getting most of us to. It's who she can actually relate to. Yeah. But so this became a pattern when every time Rachel and Anna would hang out, Anna always paid the bill, and Rachel was fascinated by Anna. She did what she wanted, she ate what she wanted, she said what she wanted, and she went after what she wanted. But at the same time, Rachel did think there was something a little bit off about Anna. Like the fact that Anna had thousands of Instagram followers, but it seemed like Rachel was her only friend. But Rachel let it go because Anna was treating her to the good life. And there was, I think, an element of a friendship where there was a little bit of love bombing. Oh, yeah. Where Anna got a friend level. Anna also constantly talked about the Anna Delvy Foundation, which she promised to Rachel and like Swar was only a few signatures away from completion. I understand Rachel's side of being like, oh, this is interesting that she doesn't seem to have that many friends, but like has this whole life and connections and whatnot. But like at the same time, you always hear from like celebrities and certain people. Like even like celebrities, kids or whatever, that it's very lonely sometimes because you don't know who's trying to actually take advantage of you. Like to me, it almost would make sense that someone doesn't have friends. Yeah. It has like a very small, small circle. Agreed. Also, by the way, a lot of those meetings pertaining to the Anna Delvy Foundation were real. Like I said, in November 2016, Anna's lawyer connected her with someone at City National Bank to talk about a $25 million loan, but banks will not just hand over that loan to just anyone. So Anna had claimed that her assets were in Swiss bank accounts when the bank was like, okay, we need something for collateral. We need like proof of funds or whatever. And she's like, they're tied up in Swiss bank accounts. So City National Bank is like, okay, can we get proof of these bank accounts? These Swiss bank accounts that exist. And Anna was like, sure, no problem. My office manager, Peter, I'll have him email them to you. Then I'll give you a physical copy, no problem, no problem. And by Peter, she meant herself in a fake email of a fake person named Peter. I totally respect this because I know a lot. Like personally, I know a lot of people who have said, oh, yeah, I'll have my assistant email you, but it's actually them because it just makes you feel like, well, one, then they don't bother you about it constantly. And it's like you put a middleman there to micromanage it, even if it's you. And it does give you this air of importance. Well, and also it separates you from if you need to say, no, to something, then you personally are not responsible. It's the business and what has been passed through from the fake email. The Peter. We don't have one. We should create one. It's ours. Oh, no. Now the secrets out. Okay. So in this case, Peter did not exist. It was Anna herself responding from this email account. And when the fictional paper copy did not arrive, city national bank denied her loan request, but she was like, wait a second, I'm not going to give up this easily. And so then in December, she tried again, but this time she went to a private equity firm called Fortress Investment Group. And they were interested, but again, they're not going to say yes without doing some due diligence. This is a huge amount of money to loan out. Fortress wanted to hire investigators to dig into her finances to make sure that Anna was legit. And this is like, I don't know if this is normal, but they wanted her to pay for the investigation. So like, is that normal that you have to front your own bill? Is it normal to have to have investigators to prove your money, like get documents to prove it? Yeah. I don't know. For whatever reason, Anna agrees. She's like, sure. Yeah, I'll pay for this. And then you can look into my assets. So the investigators, they're expensive. Anna, as we know, doesn't actually have money. So she went back to City National and tried again for a loan. She tried to convince them that she had millions of dollars in a Swiss account using a fake wire transfer and fake wire transfer confirmations. And ultimately, she convinced them to advance her $100,000 just for now. Just, just $100,000. Just for now. Just $4,000 to cover my $30,000. Right. Just $100,000 to cover. It's a penny. Yeah. Out of the 25 million. So she was able to use $45,000 of that money to pay fortresses investigators. So it's like, she's feeling more legit there. Yeah. She's like, oh my gosh, I'm getting away with this. But then they are like, oh, we are going to fly to Switzerland. And the investigators are going to go to the Swiss bank to sit down and confirm and person these accounts and she's like, holy shit, I made a huge mistake because she probably thought that like if she gave them that $45,000, they'd be like, oh, she's legit. We don't actually need to do the full investigation. Right. Yeah. So now she's walking it back. She's like, okay, I never mind cancel the deal. And instead of giving the rest of the money, the 100K or just the 55K remaining back to City National, she figured that she could just keep it for herself. She did actually pay off some of her hotel bills, which props her for doing that. But then she blew the rest of it on her life and partying pretty quickly. As 2017 rolled around, Anna was getting evicted from hotel after hotel and her credit card was being denied at restaurants, bars everywhere. And some people would be like, okay, I give up. I fold, I'm done, but not Anna. Yeah, don't show face, move to a farm in Montana. She did the exact opposite. In May of 2017, she charted a private jet. She used a wire transfer that never actually happened to fly to an investment conference in Omaha, Nebraska, again, to like, schmooze and get funding for her foundation. Does she not have some Gencha energy here where she's like go bigger when something goes wrong, go bigger, bigger, but at least Gencha, despite getting her money the wrong way had money. There was actual money. So Anna goes to this conference and she does brush shoulders with people like Warren Buffett and some big names. But she leaves pretty annoyed because no one agrees to fund her foundation. So all this stress, she needs a vacation, also I just, it took me like a hundred times hearing the word foundation to be like, is it right to be calling it a foundation? I know that there's an art gallery piece of this idea, but like, this is about schmoozing. Anyway, she's like I need a vacation. This has been so stressful on me, I need to get away somewhere really, really expensive. And that is when Anna decides to plan a trip, a luxury vacation to Morocco. This was going to be a relaxing week at a five star hotel where they'd have drinks by the pool to get pampered at the spa. And she invited her friend Rachel Williams to come along along with her personal trainer Casey, who I think like she paid $25,000 like a month to keep her personal trainer on a retainer. What in the world? And a videographer named Jesse, who was basically supposed to turn the vacation into a documentary about Anna and the foundation and like, just fill in their lives. So Anna. So interesting. Rented a stunning three bedroom villa that came with its own pool and a personal butler. And this room cost $7,000 a night. And of course, and I was like, Rachel, Casey, Jesse, this is on me. I will treat you to this whole trip. It's on me. So of course, the others said yes. They thought it was going to be a trip of a lifetime. But it ended up turning into the worst week of Rachel's life. Did you know the most feared pirate in the Atlantic, the man who terrorized an entire ocean for years, may never have actually killed anyone, or that the real golden age of pirates was the most democratic workplace in the western world. I'm Connor Tomlinson from Love on the Spectrum and History is my thing. And I'm Carter Roy and this is what the fact. Every week we take the most unbelievable true things in history and tell you the whole story behind them. Carter sets the scene, Connor brings the facts, the deep cuts, and the genuine belief that this is the most interesting subject in the world. It is. This is the history lesson you actually wished you had in high school. New episodes every Wednesday follow what the fact on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Amazon music, or subscribe on YouTube at what the fact pod. Before the trip, we've been started, things were weird. So Anna was trying to buy their flights to Morocco and her card is getting declined. So she then asked Rachel to cover the flights temporarily because she would definitely be paying her back. And Rachel was like, okay, sure, I'm not too worried, but this is going to be the first of many purchases. No, I feel so bad. With this trip, Rachel. Anna, Rachel, Casey, and Jesse landed in Morocco on May 13th, 2017. They were headed to La Mamonia, a luxury spa hotel, and the first couple of days everything was perfect. They're drinking wine. They're relaxing by the steam room. They're having really amazing meals. Everything is so great, right? But then on day three, things start to go wrong. And as being her very generous self, she's taking the group shopping in the city. And of course, when it came time to pay, her credit card declined again. And so she goes back to Rachel, was like, oh my gosh, can you cover me? I'll pay you back, I promise. And Rachel wasn't really in the position to say no here because she did have enough credit. And so she was like, okay, sure, fine, it's also so awkward, it's like so awkward. It's also like you have the belief that your friend has all of this money, so you're like, well, I don't want to be like an Anna's paying for this whole trip, like, she's being really generous. So to be like, no, I'm not paying for this because what if you don't pay me? Like, yeah, I understand why she's doing this. you'd be like, yeah. - Okay, I guess, yeah, sure, final pay. - And that was just the start of it. - This is the start of like horror. - Yeah. - Then on day four, a hotel employee told Anna that there was a problem with the credit card that they had received from her. And as usual, she's like, oh my gosh, let me call my bank, I'll have them take care of it. I forgot to tell my credit card company that I was traveling. I think they probably just froze it. I'll just make a phone call. Everything will be fixed. So the hotel's like, okay, fine, they're back off. Over the next few days, well, Anna is waiting to hear back from her bank. Rachel footed the bill for everything. And then on day six, things took another turn. - But also, if you are really that high profile and have money to bank, you're not waiting for a call back from your bank. You have a direct access to call someone at the bank. - Yeah. - Even if like, I could call my bank right now and get on line with the customer service representate, like representative. - Yeah, you can wire money instantly. - Yeah, okay, so that morning on day six of the trip, there's a knock at the villa's door where two of the hotel managers barged in saying they needed to talk to Anna. They needed a valid credit card to hold on file, even temporarily, and Anna's making all of her excuses. So now it's up to Rachel to hand over her card. But that wasn't enough. I think the bill was like 60 something thousand dollars. So she had another credit card, but it was her company card. She worked for Vanity Fair. She gives them her company card. And this is split, this massive charge is split amongst her personal card, maxing out her personal card and almost maxing out her company card. - But you're like, holy shit, I'm gonna get fired. - Yeah. And she's more focused in this moment of like, staying out of trouble than about like, how much this would cost. 'Cause again, she still believes that like, oh my God, we'll pay Anna, we'll pay me back. - Yeah. - But then she saw 30,000 had been charged on the company card. And if she didn't get paid back quick, she would be in big trouble. - Rachel was still under the impression that Anna would pay her back and that the money would be in her account once they got back home. But when they landed back home in New York, the money was not there. And she's running out of time, right? Because this is partially her money, partially her company's money. Her AMX is still maxed out. When the bills do, she's gonna be figured out. She's gonna get fired. And Anna is dodging her now. So they were tight friends and now Anna won't respond to Rachel at all. She's stressful. - She's in a meeting, she's in a car. The bank made a mistake with her working on it. She's like, every excuse, but not actually engaging with Rachel and like giving her a real answer. - Yeah. - And then at one point, Anna trying to like remedy this and make Rachel less panic. Email's Rachel about it with her quote unquote, family accountant on the email. Bettina Wagner, who confirmed that the money was incoming. So we can probably guess who Bettina actually was. Anna, with another email. (laughing) - Rachel desperately wanting to believe that her friend Anna is gonna come through for her weights and weights 'cause also like accepting the alternative is so much worse that you just got swindled out of like 60K for sure. - And you're gonna lose your job. - So she waited until July 17th, 2017. Two months after getting back from Morocco to call a lawyer to get help getting the money back. And what did the lawyer do? He laughed at her. - Well, it's so sad. - And the police were like, we can't help either. This happened in Morocco. There's literally nothing we can do. This isn't a United States issue. So Rachel decided to take matters into her own hands. She called up a couple of friends who also knew Anna and they all invited her to meet up for drinks. But this was not going to be a social outing. This was a sting operation. - I love this for Rachel. Get some justice. So she silently has her phone set up to record from her pocket. And with the other friends that she invited, they confront Anna about the money she owed. And Anna, cool as a cucumber, doesn't crack. Not at all. She insists, oh my gosh, I couldn't pay because my money's still in a trust. And then she plays the victim and is like, I'm a target of a witch hunt. And it's not just you, apparently at the same time the New York Post had just published an article calling Anna a wannabe social light who had scammed hotels out of $12,000. - Only $12,000, they did not do enough research. - No. And apparently Anna was wanted by police because she missed a court date. And now this part wasn't written in the article, but there were other people coming for Anna for money she'd promised. There was someone that remarked that Peter had like continuously emailed saying the money was being wired. And then they got a response from Peter's email basically being like, Peter has died. Please stop contacting me like this email. Again, Peter, the fake assistant was actually Anna. Point being, people are catching onto it. The walls were caving in. And Anna still continued to play the victim so the reporters didn't understand that she was building something. A foundation. - Right. Plenty of people had believed her up until this point, but like this is, things are starting to crack and Rachel is no longer buying any of it. After racking up so much debt, Rachel started investigating her friend Anna. She thought that the building that Anna had claimed to lease for this foundation was definitely not leased by Anna at all. In fact, it was leased but by a Swedish photo agency. And so then she outright called Anna a liar and like brought this up to her face. And there was nothing Anna could say to prove otherwise. A few days later, Rachel sent a letter to the Manhattan District Attorney's office asking for a meeting about Anna. And turns out they were already on to her. Anna was the target of a criminal investigation and they were very eager to talk to Rachel about her experiences. So after months of Anna's gaslighting, it felt really good to be believed and maybe get like the chance to get your money back. - Maybe. - But Rachel knew that this wouldn't be so simple. She warned the DA that Anna would skip down the second she got a chance and sure enough, as things moved forward, Anna disappeared. - But the DA is like, okay, we can use Rachel. So they encourage Rachel to be a friend Anna, like pretend that water under the bridge were still BFFs. And surprisingly, it was easy. Anna responded, which maybe it isn't that surprising because in reality, I think like Rachel and Neff were probably Anna's only real friends like throughout this whole period of time. But Anna responded and revealed that she was at a rehab facility for alcohol addiction in Malibu, California. And now Rachel was like, I don't actually know if Anna has a drinking problem or if she's using this as like a place to hide probably the letter. But she was definitely at that rehab facility. Also, that's probably a great place to brush shoulders with wealthy people too. So Rachel played the part of a concerned friend and she told Anna that she was gonna come to California to see her and meet up for lunch. The second Anna walked through the doors, police were waiting. Anna was arrested and charged with grand larceny of all sorts of theft-related crimes. She was offered a plea deal, but she turned it down because there was no way that Anna Delvie was gonna pass up the publicity of a trial. Especially after an article was published about all of her exploits in May of 2018, Anna became an overnight celebrity. There was another article and this is kind of the article that is credited to having like really opened the story and showed all of her secrets. It was published by New York Magazine written by a journalist named Jessica Pressler. And it was titled, "How Anna Delvie Tricked New York's Party People." This story went viral overnight, meaning like everyone knew who Anna Delvie was and that she was a fraud. And Anna became a global sensation because people the same way we kind of like admire her brazen delusion, so too did the public. - And I feel like this also happened at the time where there were a lot of like documentaries and articles coming out about other things. Like we talked about fire fest. It was just kind of like this era of like a few years for all of these. - Cinder sweat lovers. - Yeah, yeah. It was take, like that's what people were really interested in that it was taking over media. - Yeah. - The trial wasn't set to happen for about a year and within that year Anna got a lot of media attention. She was extradited back to New York and was charged with multiple counts of grand larceny, theft of services and attempted grand larceny. In total, prosecutors alleged that she defrauded banks, hotels and individuals more than $275,000. I feel like it was way more than that. - Right, I know that feels low. - It feels low for what she was doing. - Right. And how she was living. - I mean, I guess there were periods of time where she was using like real people's money to pay off certain things. - Yeah, but this number's supposed to include her like frauding individuals. - I don't know. - Yeah. Anyway, while awaiting her trial, Anna was held at Rikers Island and people were begging to see her for audience with her. And they wanted to hear her story. They wanted to share it with the world. She was so popular. - Speaking of her story in 2018, even before her trial happened, Netflix was like, "Hey, Anna, we'd like to buy your life rights." And she agreed. And they bought her life rights for about $320,000. - That's a lot. So Anna was finally getting some fame, the fame that she always wanted. And she definitely loved the media attention, right? While awaiting trial, Anna rejected a plea deal. She wanted the case to go to trial because she believed that she could win. And by the time the trial came, Anna had earned the nickname, the Soho Grifter. Which is not a pleasing name. (laughing) No. And then when the trial began in March of 2019, as you can imagine, Anna would definitely made sure to turn it into a spectacle every day in court. or it was an opportunity for another eye-catching outfit. I remember this. - Yeah. - From designers like St. Laurent, Michael Kors, she even hired a stylist to help shape her look for work. - With that money. - Again, where are you getting the money? - The money to hire the stylist and the money for the clothing. I don't know. - And for the lawyers, lots of questions. And it did get her a lot of new followers on social media, but it didn't do anything to sway the jury. - In April 2019, Anna Serokin was convicted on multiple counts of larceny and theft. The judge sentenced her to between four and 12 years in prison and ordered her to pay $224,000 in fines and restitution. So that $320,000 went to paying restitution and legal fees, meaning she probably pocketed $0. - But that was far from the end of Anna's story. On February 11th, 2021, Anna was released from Albion Correctional Facility in Upstate New York. She served just under four years and was released early for good behavior. Only to be arrested a month later by immigration authorities because she had come to the US on a travel visa, which had expired when she was in prison. After 18 months in immigration detention, Anna was ungranted release in October of 2022, but under very strict conditions, she had to be on 24-hour house arrest electronic ankle monitor, which did you see the clips and stuff of her? Like a video, it was on social media of her like addressed, like beautifully hair perfectly done in like, mermaid waves or whatever, and then she has her ankle. - Yeah, it's a fashion statement now. - It is a fashion statement for her 'cause she can twist anything, right? She had limited travel. She was required to post a 10k bond. And as of this recording, she is still under house arrest and is still fighting deportation. - But don't worry, house arrest did not stop someone like Anna Delvie. Ever the hustler, Anna found a new way to monetize her start-up. She sells art that she made in prison and I looked it up, they're like $250 a piece. They're like fine. I don't think I'd pay $250 for it. Like she's selling more of herself, you know? - Yeah, it's like when serial killers get a phone out when people buy it. - This one's better. - Okay, if you want to go buy Anna Delvie's art, we go for it, I won't judge you. If you buy a serial killer's art, I will absolutely judge you. But she hosts dinner parties and events. And in 2023, she launched a podcast called The Anna Delvie Show. I looked it up for you so you don't have to. It has 3.4 stars out of five. And I don't think it lasted long 'cause there's only like six or seven episodes on it. But she's pitch project, she's given interviews, she was actually interviewed on Call Her Daddy where she was still in prison and Alex Cooper interviewed her. Most notably though, despite being on house arrest, Anna appeared on dancing with the stars and like you were saying, making her anglet bracelet like an accessory, she bejeweled it and made sure to show it off during her performance, like making it part of her brand. She also says she has plans for a book, her own documentary, and a dinner club with celebrities. So watch out world and watch out banks 'cause Anna Delvie is still out there. - Why do I feel like she's actually gonna pull a lot of this off? - She is. - For sure, I believe it. - Because now people just like, almost celebrate her. - Yeah. - Getting away with this like crazy con and convincing everyone that she was this erous. So say what you will about this case and about Anna, but Anna conned and deceived many people and she also exposed something much deeper. An obsession with wealth, status and power. A lot of the world that Anna infiltrated New York's elite social scene runs almost entirely on perception and Anna successfully made people believe that she belonged simply just by acting like she did. - And like I said in the beginning, I feel like they almost wanted to make an example of her because there are plenty of powerful people who lie, manipulate and take advantage of others literally every day and they face no consequences. But then here's this woman who kind of finally gave them a taste of their own medicine, but the problem is they actually have the money to do something about it. So they did. Who knows what animal to do next, but I can say for certain the world will be watching. - Yeah, and I don't think that she's done at all. - No. (upbeat music) - Thank you so much for listening. We are your hosts, Sabrina Deanna Roja and Corinne Vienne. Join us next Tuesday for another peek inside another crimes of deception. And if there are any other cases that you would like us to cover, please let us know in the comments. Here at Crime House, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you heard today, reach out on all social media at Crime House. And don't forget to rate, review and follow crimes of wherever you get your podcasts because your feedback truly makes a difference. And with that, court adjourned. Jury dismissed. Thanks for your hard work today. (laughs) See you next week. (upbeat music) - Happy Halloween, Crime House listeners. I'm Vanessa Richardson. Did you know horror films like Abigail and Sinister were based on true stories? Join me every Sunday this month on Crime House 24/7 for Crime House of Horrors, where I dive into four stories behind some of our favorite scary movies. From Abigail, the autopsy of Jane Doe, Sinister and the taking of Deborah Logan. You'll find one thing in common. The truth is scarier than fiction. Listen every Sunday on Crime House 24/7 or join Crime House Plus for all four right now, add free. Subscribe on Apple podcasts, Spotify or at crimehouseplus.com. - Looking for your next podcast? Check out what the fact. It's a new show from Connor Tomlinson, who you know from Netflix's Love on the Spectrum, alongside Carter Roy. Follow what the fact wherever you listen or subscribe on YouTube at what the fact caught.

Podcast Summary

Key Points:

  1. Anna Delvey, born Anna Serokin, fraudulently posed as a wealthy German aristess to infiltrate elite New York society and scam hotels, banks, and friends out of thousands of dollars.
  2. She built a meticulously crafted persona, using fashion, confidence, and charm to gain trust, while fabricating a backstory involving a massive trust fund and connections to powerful figures.
  3. Anna obtained fake documents, forged emails, and used fake assistants to deceive institutions, including banks and private equity firms, to secure loans and funding for her nonexistent "Anna Delvey Foundation."
  4. Her scams involved repeated hotel stays, where she avoided credit card checks by creating excuses, often using borrowed money or fake wire transfers to cover expenses.
  5. Despite clear red flags—like declined cards, unexplained debts, and fabricated financial statements—she maintained her illusion until confronted, leading to a financial and social collapse.
  6. When exposed, she refused to acknowledge her deception, instead portraying herself as a victim of a conspiracy and a witch hunt by the wealthy elite.
  7. The case highlights how delusion, confidence, and manipulation can enable a person to live a life of luxury for years while evading detection.
  8. Anna’s story remains controversial, with some viewing her as a brilliant con artist and others as a dangerous fraud who exploited vulnerability and trust.

Summary:

Anna Delvey, born Anna Serokin, is one of the most audacious con artists in modern history. Born in Moscow and raised in a working-class German town, she grew up feeling isolated and bullied, fueling her obsession with wealth and image. Influenced by figures like Marie Antoinette and Regina George, she developed a relentless desire to appear rich and powerful.

After moving to London and Paris, she forged a fabricated identity as a wealthy German aristess, using charm, fashion, and strategic lies to infiltrate elite New York circles. " She used fake documents, forged emails, and fictional assistants to deceive financial institutions, including banks and private equity firms, to secure funding. Over time, her deception became evident—credit cards were declined, debts grew, and she failed to repay friends or cover hotel bills.

When exposed during a luxury vacation in Morocco, her lies unraveled, leading to a massive financial scandal. Rachel Williams, a close friend, discovered the truth and pursued legal action, only to face indifference from authorities, who could not intervene due to jurisdictional limits. Despite being caught, Anna maintained her defense, claiming she was a victim of a targeted witch hunt.

The case illustrates the power of belief, confidence, and manipulation in deception, and raises questions about how society responds to fraud that appears so believable. It remains a cautionary tale of ambition, delusion, and the fine line between audacity and crime.

FAQs

Anna Delvey, formerly Anna Serokin, was a woman who falsely claimed to be a wealthy German aristess with a massive trust fund. She used this fabricated identity to gain access to luxury hotels, social circles, and financial resources, swindling friends, hotels, and banks out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Anna meticulously crafted a convincing persona by adopting a new name (Anna Delvey), dressing in expensive designer clothing, speaking with a distinctive accent, and projecting confidence and wealth. She also created fictional documents, such as fake emails and bank statements, to appear legitimate to banks and businesses.

Anna aimed to launch her own private members-only club, called the Anna Delvey Foundation, which would serve as a social hub for the elite. She developed a detailed 80-page business plan and secured connections to high-profile individuals, including a tech entrepreneur, to support her vision.

Her deception unraveled when hotel managers discovered her credit card was non-functional, and financial institutions like City National Bank and Fortress Investment Group failed to verify her assets. Fake documents, including a nonexistent assistant named Peter, were exposed, and she refused to pay back debts, leading to investigations and public scrutiny.

Anna was arrested, convicted of fraud, and sentenced to prison. She served time before being released, after which she continued to maintain a public image through fashion and media, often being described as charismatic and confident despite her criminal actions.

No, Anna never fully repaid her victims. While she made partial payments or used borrowed money to cover some debts, she consistently avoided full repayment, and many people, including Rachel Williams, lost significant amounts of money and faced financial and emotional damage.

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