True Crime Vault: The Sinfluencer of Soho

Summary

Summary of "True Crime Vault: The Sinfluencer of Soho" – 20/20 Podcast by ABC News

Release Date: December 11, 2024

The "True Crime Vault: The Sinfluencer of Soho" episode delves into the captivating story of Anna Sorokin, also known as Anna Delvey, a notorious con artist who infiltrated New York's elite society by masquerading as a wealthy German heiress. This detailed summary captures the key points, discussions, insights, and conclusions presented throughout the episode.

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1. Introduction to Anna Sorokin’s Story

The episode opens with a gripping narration that sets the stage for Anna Sorokin's audacious acts:

Narrator [00:39]: "He broke her teeth. He broke her bones."

This introduction hints at the underlying tensions and confrontations that will be explored in Anna's story.

2. Crafting the Anna Delvey Persona

Anna Sorokin’s transformation into Anna Delvey is a central theme, highlighting her strategic reinvention:

Expert 3 [01:04]: "Somebody must have started the idea that she was an heiress. And who would have started that besides Anna?"

Anna Sorokin [01:27]: "I decided to be somebody else."

Anna's deliberate effort to adopt a glamorous persona allowed her to gain trust and access exclusive circles without any legitimate financial backing.

3. Infiltrating New York’s Elite

Anna’s prowess in social settings is examined, showcasing her ability to manipulate perceptions:

Expert 3 [05:06]: "She knew which people she needed to make feel important. And she also had this sort of aura about her where she's intriguing and she used that."

Her active presence on social media further solidified her image as a high-flying heiress:

Expert 3 [05:24]: "Her Instagram account actually helped build her image."

4. The Morocco Incident: A Turning Point

A pivotal moment in Anna's fraudulent activities occurred during a trip to Morocco, which led to her eventual downfall:

Rachel DeLoach Williams [12:38]: "She owed me more money than I needed to hire."

Anna's failure to pay an exorbitant hotel bill exposed the fracture in her facade:

Anna Sorokin [14:11]: "I had the money, I guess at the time when I booked it and I guess they gave me an impression that they pre-authorized my card."

This incident not only strained her relationship with Rachel DeLoach Williams but also triggered legal repercussions.

5. The Legal Battle and Testimonies

The courtroom drama unfolded with emotional testimonies from Rachel, Anna’s former friend:

Rachel DeLoach Williams [29:36]: "It was really hard. I didn't look at her until I was on the stand and was asked to identify the defendant."

Rachel's dependable friendship turned adversarial as she confronted Anna's deceit:

Rachel DeLoach Williams [33:24]: "I had put so much goodwill into. Turned out to just be a liar and who had willfully hurt me was very painful."

6. Trial Proceedings and Verdict

Anna’s trial was marked by strategic defense and media spectacle:

Anna Sorokin [23:04]: "I wanted to go to trial just like I felt like it was the only way to tell my story."

Despite her efforts to present herself favorably, the jury found her guilty on several counts:

Expert 2 [35:52]: "A New York City jury finding socialite Anna Sorokin, a so-called Soho grifter, guilty on eight counts, including grand larceny, attempted grand larceny, and theft of services."

7. Sentencing and Incarceration

Anna was sentenced to between four to twelve years in prison, along with restitution:

Expert 2 [36:27]: "Sorokin was acquitted of two charges, including the most serious, attempting to steal a million dollars from a bank. Still, she faces deportation and up to 15 years in prison."

During her time in Rikers Island, Anna maintained her charm and sought media opportunities:

Anna Sorokin [22:08]: "I was really upset at the time. Yeah, I just, like, learned to deal with it."

8. Post-Release Activities and Continued Deception

Upon early release for good behavior, Anna attempted to reclaim her socialite status:

Anna Sorokin [40:26]: "I'm a Christian. Sins are forgiven."

Her continued presence on social media and attempts to engage with the public illustrated her unrepentant nature:

Expert 3 [42:10]: "She was giving interviews on social media, really living the high life."

However, her lack of genuine remorse and persistence in deceit led to further legal troubles:

Expert 4 [41:37]: "Anna will fight being deported to Germany tooth and nail."

9. Conclusion: The Enduring Impact of Anna Sorokin’s Story

The episode concludes by reflecting on the timeless allure of such con artist tales and the lessons they impart:

Expert 4 [43:17]: "I think maybe she has a more shot at it at the city that she didn't do."

Deborah Roberts [43:52]: "You tell me. Do you feel scammed?"

Anna Sorokin’s narrative underscores the intricate dance between charisma, deception, and the pursuit of an elusive dream, leaving listeners pondering the depths of human ambition and morality.

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Notable Quotes with Attribution and Timestamps:

• Deborah Roberts [01:04]: "Take a listen."
• Expert 2 [04:35]: "She was really taking people for an absolute ride."
• Rachel DeLoach Williams [09:12]: "She and I spent some time going to dinners and hanging out."
• Anna Sorokin [10:35]: "Why not? I would like to show the world that I'm not this damn greedy person that they portrayed me to be."
• Expert 3 [26:09]: "I can't answer that."
• Rachel DeLoach Williams [33:24]: "I understand the word trauma is, you know, is relative."
• Anna Sorokin [36:06]: "I mean, just deal with the consequences."
• Expert 2 [38:15]: "I think she has a problem with authority."

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This comprehensive summary encapsulates the rise and fall of Anna Sorokin, offering insights into her manipulative tactics and the eventual legal repercussions she faced. Through expert analysis and personal testimonies, the episode paints a vivid picture of one of Soho's most infamous con artists.

Transcript

[Sponsor Voice]

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[Deborah Roberts]

Change the way you fly. Book your next trip [e-mail] this is Deborah Roberts. Welcome to the 2020 True Crime Vault. Each week we reach back into our archives and bring you a story we found unforgettable.

[Narrator]

He broke her teeth. He broke her bones.

[Expert 1]

Poisons that you could use that would be undetectable.

[Expert 2]

Oh, my goodness. What have you done?

[Deborah Roberts]

Take a listen.

[Expert 3]

Stopper Hustle is a cracker dog.

[Deborah Roberts]

It's pretty clear to everybody you've dealt with that there is no money, that you're no German heiress. Were you living a lie?

[Narrator]

Anna's story is a story that actually novels are made of a globetrotting life.

[Expert 2]

Of glitz and glamour for one woman masquerading as an heiress.

[Expert 3]

She woke up one morning and she decided to be somebody else.

[Expert 4]

Somebody must have started the idea that she was an heiress. And who would have started that besides Anna?

[Expert 3]

It was the Kardashian lifestyle.

[Sponsor Voice]

The wannabe socialite becomes a tabloid sensation.

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

I certainly wish I had never met her.

[Expert 4]

Rachel fell hook, line and sinker for the narrative that she was in line to inherit tens of millions of dollars.

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

She owed me more money than I need any here.

[Expert 3]

So paying.

[Sponsor Voice]

This was really high drama seeing these two women coming face to face together in a courtroom.

[Deborah Roberts]

Many people see you as the ultimate scammer. Are you scamming us?

[Anna Sorokin]

Do you feel scammed?

[Expert 3]

Pay me my money.

[Narrator]

It was very cold and it was snowing when we drove up to the prison.

[Deborah Roberts]

2-11-11Th. You walked out of prison a free woman. Hi, Anna. What did that feel like?

[Anna Sorokin]

I feel great. It's exciting to be out and I'm really happy.

[Deborah Roberts]

What was the first thing you did?

[Anna Sorokin]

They brought me my phone, so I got on social media.

[Expert 3]

She immediately goes back to both Instagram and Twitter.

[Narrator]

We drove with her like seven hours to New York. Her intent was to go back to her life.

[Expert 2]

She called herself Anna Delvey, who prosecutors say was pretending to be a high flying German heiress living a fairytale life among Manhattan's elite.

[Deborah Roberts]

Let me just have you say, pronounce and spell your name, please.

[Anna Sorokin]

My name is Anna Delvey. A, N, N A D, E, l.

[Deborah Roberts]

V E Y How would you describe the real Anna Delvey? Who is she?

[Anna Sorokin]

Oh, that's such a loaded question.

[Sponsor Voice]

The wannabe socialite is actually on trial.

[Narrator]

For swindling hundreds of thousands of dollars.

[Expert 2]

Prosecutors say the 28 year old stole $275,000 from banks, hotels and friends. A German con artist has been sentenced.

[Expert 5]

To a minimum of four.

[Narrator]

This is a story about a woman who pretended to be someone that she's not.

[Expert 3]

She woke up one morning and she decided to be somebody else. And she actually became that person.

[Expert 4]

Anna is a tricky woman to describe. She is like no one I've ever met before. She is the slipperiest of slippery fish.

[Narrator]

I would say Anna's story is a story that actually novels are made of. You envision a story like this, but this is not really a real life scenario.

[Deborah Roberts]

Anna was in her early 20s when she showed up in New York City from Paris back in 2013. She had come from a middle class background. She had no job. But somehow once she was here, through a combination of deception and assumptions, people got the impression that she was wealthy.

[Expert 4]

She was really taking people for an absolute ride. She didn't do an honest day's work in her life in New York, the way she was living, dishing out $100 tips, living out of hotels, she was suddenly living like she had that sort of money.

[Expert 3]

She would tip the cab driver $100 in cash and make sure everybody saw it.

[Expert 1]

She was living at these high end hotels. How she supported that, I have no idea. She just didn't give a. At the end of the day, that's what this is about.

[Anna Sorokin]

If I do it, no one will care. Who would arrest me?

[Expert 3]

I don't think anybody could play Santa's accent. You weren't really sure where Anna was from, but she was from somewhere else, very active on Instagram and Twitter. She would take pictures when she was on planes or at a nice dinner. Her Instagram account actually helped build her image.

[Narrator]

I think for her it was more like you fake it until you make it.

[Deborah Roberts]

The impression is that you're kind of like sliding through life and you don't have to sign for anything and people just kind of let you do what.

[Anna Sorokin]

You want, I guess. Yes.

[Deborah Roberts]

So if you're creating the illusion that you have a certain amount of money even though you don't. Did you see that as a problem?

[Anna Sorokin]

Not at the time, but it would.

[Deborah Roberts]

Soon become a big problem, a criminal matter. The trouble began when Anna set her sights on this historic building in midtown Manhattan. As outrageous as it Sounds. This young, unemployed newcomer with no business experience believed that she could fake her way into getting the millions of dollars necessary to turn it into her dream come true.

[Expert 1]

So her plan was kind of like a members only club, A very high end members only club. Arts, fashion, entertainment, music, restaurants, everything in one place. The name of this was the Anna Delvey foundation adf.

[Narrator]

Anna needed money for her business venture. As she thinks that money is out there. You just have to find a way to get it.

[Expert 4]

She was meeting with big important leaders of industry. It was going to cost about $40 million to build and Anna had about $4.

[Deborah Roberts]

How did they treat you, this young 20 something with these grand ideas for a project?

[Anna Sorokin]

I feel they were encouraging me. It kind of helps for them to think like that. I have more money than them.

[Expert 4]

At some point, somebody must have started the idea that she was an heiress. And who would have started that besides Anna?

[Deborah Roberts]

Did you tell people that you were an heiress?

[Anna Sorokin]

Absolutely not.

[Narrator]

A lot of times people have maybe rich and have a personal wealth, but of course, if they have a business venture, they don't want to use their own personal money for it. So they go to a bank and they want to have a business loan.

[Expert 1]

Anna went to the most premier investment banks in New York without a dollar to her name. The bankers were seduced by the glitz and glam. She came up and they're stunting. She came in there with the right clothes and they were like, I love it, let's do it.

[Expert 3]

There was something about Anna. She knew which people she needed to make feel important. And she also had this sort of aura about her where she's intriguing and she used that.

[Deborah Roberts]

How did you meet Anna Delvey?

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

I met her out one night in New York. I was out with friends and she just joined us late that evening.

[Deborah Roberts]

Do you regret you met her?

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

Absolutely. I certainly wish I had never met her.

[Expert 4]

Rachel DeLoach Williams was a picture editor at Vanity Fair magazine.

[Deborah Roberts]

What were your first impressions?

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

She was slightly offbeat, she was quirky, her voice was high pitched. She had a hard to place accent. And there was something about her you kind of just wanted to watch because you couldn't put your finger on it.

[Expert 3]

They were both young, they were both in their 20s. They both recently moved to New York and they wanted to be in circles that they didn't really belong to.

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

I liked her and so we had a lot of fun together.

[Anna Sorokin]

She was just a nice girl and I felt she was sweet and she was interesting at the time to me.

[Expert 1]

So these two formed a friendship And Anna portrayed herself as having a lot of money and living a very lavish lifestyle. And Rachel was into that.

[Deborah Roberts]

You would pay for things mostly when you two went out. Why?

[Anna Sorokin]

Well, she gave me an impression that she only made whatever, 60 or $70,000 a year. It's not a big deal for me to, like, pick up a tab, which is a couple hundred dollars I felt was a nice thing to do.

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

She and I spent some time going to dinners and hanging out. During that time, I learned that she was working on an art foundation, club, restaurant, just everything. And the concept was very interesting and impressive. And she'd referred to this family trust she had, which I didn't pry about, but it sort of informed my understanding of her.

[Deborah Roberts]

So it was pretty casual. But you figured she had money?

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

Yes.

[Expert 4]

Rachel fell hook, line and sinker for the narrative that she was in line to inherit tens of millions of dollars.

[Deborah Roberts]

She would later on say she just assumed you were a socialite.

[Anna Sorokin]

I never say. It's like, hey, man, I'm a socialite. Like, who says that?

[Narrator]

Rachel didn't know that her life was about to change. She trusted Anna and she truly believed that she was rich.

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

People have asked, were there red flags? I never questioned that she was who she said she was. I never had reason to, and I wouldn't have thought that way.

[Deborah Roberts]

But she would soon learn that not everything was what it seemed. I mean, not even Anna's last name. Delvey. She made that up. Her real name was Sorokin. Where's the name Delvey come from?

[Anna Sorokin]

No, I just came up with that.

[Deborah Roberts]

You just made it up?

[Anna Sorokin]

Yes.

[Deborah Roberts]

It's not a family name.

[Anna Sorokin]

No.

[Deborah Roberts]

You just like that better than Sorokin?

[Anna Sorokin]

Yes.

[Expert 3]

Whether you're talking about Anna Sorokin or Anna Delvey, she does not like to follow the rules.

[Deborah Roberts]

This is the first time you've sat down for a television interview. Why are you talking with us?

[Anna Sorokin]

Why not? I would like to show the world that I'm not this damn greedy person that they portrayed me to be.

[Deborah Roberts]

Little did she know that a trap was about to be laid that was going to lead to her downfall.

[Expert 2]

Ryan Reynolds here for, I guess, my hundredth mint commercial.

[Deborah Roberts]

No, no, no, no, no, no, don't.

[Expert 2]

No, no, no. I mean, honestly, when I started this, I thought I'd only have to do, like, four of these. I mean, it's unlimited to Premium Wireless for $15 a month. How are there still people paying two or three times that much? I'm sorry, I shouldn't be victim blaming. Here, give it a try. @mintmobile.com Save whenever you're ready.

[Deborah Roberts]

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[Expert 2]

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[Deborah Roberts]

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[Expert 3]

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[Deborah Roberts]

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[Expert 2]

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[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

Since Anna was a German citizen, she needed to leave every three months in order to reset the visa. And instead of going back home to Germany, she suggested we take a trip somewhere warm.

[Narrator]

They just somehow had this idea to go to Morocco. Seemed to be a nice destination.

[Anna Sorokin]

Me and Rachel, I kind of brainstormed where we should. We came out with La Mamunia and Marrakesh.

[Deborah Roberts]

Okay.

[Expert 3]

And they also brought along a film guy.

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

She said that she wanted to make a documentary while we were there about her art foundation and its creation and she sort of framed it within this business expense. Cheers. Cheers.

[Narrator]

Anna D. Anna D. Anna was thinking ahead. I want to get money for my art foundation. If I film myself being in Morocco, if I can afford this, then I must be loaded. I must have money.

[Expert 1]

This is some stunning top of the line, like dripping in gold resort with butlers and private everything. It's a resort that's built for the 1%.

[Expert 4]

Chloe Kardashian has stayed there once upon a time, quite a few decades before that. Winston Churchill would regularly stay there. You know, this is where the great and the uber wealthy have hung out.

[Deborah Roberts]

For decades Your eyes must have been popping out of your head.

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

Absolutely it was. I mean it was amazing until it wasn't.

[Narrator]

Anaf, right from the get go said that she's paying.

[Deborah Roberts]

Why are you treating everybody a $7,000 a night room?

[Anna Sorokin]

Well, I had the money, I guess at the time when I booked it and I guess they gave me an impression that they pre authorized my card or something like that.

[Expert 1]

So the trip is going along, they're living it up. I'm not sure why Anna had issues paying, but for whatever reason her credit cards were not working.

[Expert 4]

Anna claims that her credit cards aren't going through because she hasn't given the banks the heads up that she's going to be in a foreign country. So her banks have blocked it, which is just the type of thing that would happen. And it's seems a kind of credible reason.

[Sponsor Voice]

So the hotel isn't getting any payment and the bill is getting astronomical.

[Deborah Roberts]

So now you have a tab of 60 plus thousand dollars?

[Anna Sorokin]

Yes.

[Expert 1]

So they came and they said, listen, what's going on? Time to pay.

[Narrator]

Well, of course there is a scene at this hotel.

[Expert 4]

Two of the hotel workers were not going to let these women move until they had a working credit card.

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

There was just this insane pressure and tension in the room. I was very aware of us being young women in a foreign country. I just didn't know what to do.

[Narrator]

It's like, oh my God, you know, nobody wants to go to jail and I guess especially not in Morocco.

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

And the men say, do you have a credit card? So I look at Anna and she's like, can we just use it for now?

[Narrator]

And I wasn't thinking much. She was like, well the money is going to come and of course I'm going to pay Rachel back. For Rachel, however, it was just really a very scary situation.

[Expert 4]

She hands over her personal card and she also hands over her corporate card. It makes me feel nauseous. How terrifying that must be. You know, your job is now on the line.

[Expert 3]

Rachel just footed the bill for both of them is what really happened. And this was a in their friendship for sure.

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

She owed me more money than I made in a year.

[Deborah Roberts]

She's reaching out to you to pay her back. Do you know that she is beside herself with worry about the card?

[Anna Sorokin]

Yeah, she was telling me that every day, all day.

[Deborah Roberts]

You're texting Anna no reimbursement. What are you thinking?

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

I'm thinking this is a rich girl who has never had to deal with monthly bills. She just doesn't understand what an urgent situation I'M in. You know, I am late with my rent. I'm late with my credit card payments. Every night I'm awake in bed thinking, oh, this is serious. I'm, like, in a lot of trouble at this stage.

[Deborah Roberts]

You don't have the money to pay Rachel?

[Anna Sorokin]

No.

[Deborah Roberts]

How was she responding?

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

She had a billion and one excuses. I was suspicious at that point.

[Narrator]

Anna paid Rachel $5,000 through PayPal, but that caused problems. I guess PayPal or American Express stopped the credit card, so she was not able to access any further funds. Anna relied on her credit card to pay things, so she wasn't able to fulfill other obligations, like a hotel bill.

[Expert 4]

July 2017, she is arrested for the first time, and it's for theft of services. And it relates to three things in New York. Unpaid bills, at the Beekman, at the W Hotel, and at Le Parca Meridian.

[Expert 1]

The day I met her, she had one open misdemeanor criminal case. I come to find out that there's a number of criminal investigations and active cases against Anna for unpaid bills, hotels, restaurants, other things of that nature.

[Expert 3]

It's her first arrest, and everything really starts to kind of unravel.

[Sponsor Voice]

And that's when this story hits the New York Post. The wannabe socialite becomes a tabloid sensation.

[Deborah Roberts]

You're beginning to make the press. There are newspaper headlines. What did you make of that?

[Anna Sorokin]

I guess it's just what people like to hear. They just looked at my Instagram, and this is what they like reality that they created.

[Deborah Roberts]

You eventually go to the district Attorney's office, and what do you learn?

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

I learned that there is an ongoing investigation into Anna Delvey, whose real name is Anna Sorokin.

[Expert 4]

But, of course, Anna, she doesn't want to stop living the life just yet.

[Expert 3]

After her arraignment, she ditches and she goes to California.

[Deborah Roberts]

The district attorney is trying to track her down. And you want to be helpful in this?

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

Yes. If she did this to me and I was her friend, she would do it to anybody. And I just wanted to protect other people.

[Expert 1]

And Rachel set her up.

[Expert 4]

Suddenly, the gullible fool is no longer so foolish. So they're messaging back and forth, but every single time that Anna messages Rachel, Rachel is screenshotting it and sending it straight to the DA she was in.

[Anna Sorokin]

Touch with me, like, for about a week. Like, just asked me how I was doing, and, like, just pretending like nothing was off.

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

She had asked if we could get together, so I asked her if she could meet me at a restaurant in Los Angeles. And we set a time that's where.

[Narrator]

Actually Anna was headed to when she was arrested.

[Deborah Roberts]

So you were arrested again?

[Anna Sorokin]

Yes.

[Deborah Roberts]

What did you think? What did you feel?

[Anna Sorokin]

I was surprised.

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

I was still afraid. I was afraid she'd find out that it was me.

[Expert 4]

Rachel sends a message to Anna saying, I'm at the restaurant, kind of, where are you? Is everything okay? Because she didn't want Anna at that point to know that she had played her. But she did. She played her like an absolute fiddle.

[Deborah Roberts]

At this moment, it's pretty clear to everybody you've dealt with that there is no money, that you're no German heiress. Were you living a lie?

[Anna Sorokin]

Um, I don't feel I was. No.

[Expert 1]

Anna.

[Deborah Roberts]

I can't believe it.

[Expert 3]

I can't believe it.

[Sponsor Voice]

If Anna wasn't living a lie, what was she living? The prosecution has quite the case to make to a jury to try to prove just how fake this would be Heiress actually was.

[Deborah Roberts]

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[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

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[Expert 2]

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[Anna Sorokin]

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[Deborah Roberts]

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[Expert 2]

Been masquerading as an era. A German con artist. The young woman who duped banks and New Yorkers out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

[Narrator]

The wannabe socialized, falsified bank records, forged.

[Expert 2]

Her identity, pretending to be a high flying German heiress.

[Expert 3]

This lavish lifestyle that Anna had been living, it all comes crashing down when the FBI bring her back to New York. Her lodgings are Rikers Correctional Facility.

[Deborah Roberts]

You were taken to Rikers island, one of the most frightening jails in the country. What was that like for you? Were you terrified?

[Anna Sorokin]

Actually, I had no idea about Rikers. I was really upset at the time. Yeah, I just, like, learned to deal with it.

[Expert 4]

The nature of her crimes meant was easy for the judge to not grant.

[Deborah Roberts]

Anna Bailey, you're there for 19 months.

[Anna Sorokin]

Yes.

[Deborah Roberts]

Did you feel that you were in danger ever?

[Anna Sorokin]

Not physically, no. I was just lucky. I never, like, met anyone who was awful to me.

[Expert 5]

While at Rikers Island, Anna survived unscathed. I've said this before. Anna's very charismatic and charming.

[Deborah Roberts]

Did you have celebrity status in jail?

[Anna Sorokin]

I definitely did, yes.

[Deborah Roberts]

And then you strike a Netflix deal.

[Expert 2]

Sorokin's case even capturing Hollywood's attention. Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes behind an upcoming project for Netflix.

[Expert 3]

She was offered over $300,000 for the deal.

[Deborah Roberts]

So you're essentially making money off of this. I mean, was it kind of a joke to you?

[Anna Sorokin]

No, not really. Not at all. I mean, it all kind of happened. And even if I were to get, like, 100 million from Netflix, like, my life in jail would not have changed.

[Deborah Roberts]

You were still behind bars?

[Anna Sorokin]

Absolutely. Definitely.

[Expert 1]

Anna was offered a plea bargain of three to nine years to resolve all of the criminal liability. And she ultimately rejected it and said, I'd rather go to trial. I'd rather roll the dice. Let's go.

[Anna Sorokin]

I wanted to go to trial just like I felt like it was the only way to tell my story.

[Expert 3]

Most people go to trial to be found not guilty. She went to trial for the story.

[Expert 2]

Now facing charges of grand larceny and theft, she could spend up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

[Expert 4]

She knew that the world's media were focusing the spotlight on her, and there was no way that she was gonna look bad at trial.

[Deborah Roberts]

Sorkin, always looking glamorous on her social media pages.

[Expert 2]

Her defense team even hiring a stylist.

[Deborah Roberts]

To help her prepare for court appearances.

[Expert 4]

She was wearing Victoria Beckham and Michael Kors. The choker became such a look. There was so much media attention on what she was looking like.

[Anna Sorokin]

I felt like I knew my trial is going to last for a while, and you don't really get any clothes.

[Deborah Roberts]

But Anna, what defendant has clothes brought in by a stylist?

[Anna Sorokin]

I don't know. I had never had. I didn't have Internet at the time to compare myself to other defendants. So I just kind of did what made sense at the time.

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

It just really exemplified how focused she is on vanity and narcissism and putting on a show.

[Narrator]

Prosecution, of course, told the jury that Anna was living a double life and used her lies to cheat banks and even her personal friend Rachel out of a lot of money.

[Deborah Roberts]

Prosecutors said that your story was lie after lie after lie. That's what they told the jury.

[Anna Sorokin]

I mean, of course they would say something like this. That's their job, to accuse me of crimes.

[Sponsor Voice]

Remember, Anna was supposed to be opening this arts foundation. She went to banks and told them she had money overseas.

[Deborah Roberts]

What were you expected to provide as proof that you have these millions and millions of dollars overseas?

[Anna Sorokin]

Like a bank statement, a letter of credit from the bank?

[Expert 4]

So Anna was definitely really starting to spin the lies at this point and stepping up her con level. She was creating fake documents to try and persuade bankers that she was worth around 60 million euros.

[Expert 1]

So Anna was charged with certain crimes that had evidence that we couldn't dispute. The fake documents were the fake documents. We were stuck with them. There's nothing we could do about it.

[Narrator]

These documents were very realistic. I would have fallen for it. And obviously the bankers did too.

[Deborah Roberts]

Anna never testified in court, and during our interview, her lawyer wouldn't let her answer many of my questions about those dealings with the banks. The impression that they get from documents is that you have a lot of money in accounts. Was that by design?

[Anna Sorokin]

Um, yes.

[Deborah Roberts]

So you wanted them to think that you had a lot of money to put up.

[Expert 5]

The first one is fine. Don't answer the second.

[Deborah Roberts]

Did you have that amount of money in overseas accounts?

[Anna Sorokin]

I can't answer that.

[Deborah Roberts]

And how do you come up with bank statements?

[Anna Sorokin]

I can't answer that.

[Deborah Roberts]

How were you able to falsify documents?

[Anna Sorokin]

My lawyer would not allow me to answer.

[Expert 5]

From my review of the evidence, there is really no direct link between her and the documents. So that's why I did not want her to answer.

[Sponsor Voice]

The banks never gave Anna the loans, but she did get a line of credit, and prosecutors say she used that money and bad checks in order to fund her lavish lifestyle.

[Deborah Roberts]

When you look at the evidence that the prosecution presented, it looks like this was a scam.

[Anna Sorokin]

But there are different ways to tell a story.

[Expert 1]

The other way to tell the story is that Anna had every intention of doing things the right way. But she couldn't open certain doors without doing something a little bit gray to open that door. Everyone creates the version of themselves that they want the world to see. Everyone is lying a little bit. Everyone lies when it's convenient to them, some more than others. But we all do it. And Anna did the same thing. She couldn't be 100% honest because no one would listen to her.

[Deborah Roberts]

Your lawyer at the time said that you did nothing wrong, that you exploited a system easily seduced by glitz and glamour, that you told little white lies. Is that what happened?

[Anna Sorokin]

Yes. That's the way I say it, too.

[Expert 5]

Anna is accused essentially of misleading people to think that she had more money than she had. Isn't that what all of us do every day when we use a credit card to buy something we can't afford? Where's the crime?

[Anna Sorokin]

I never had a fraudulent intent, and I guess that's what should really count.

[Deborah Roberts]

When did you begin to realize that you could not afford your life and pay people back?

[Anna Sorokin]

I always knew that, and I was just always trying to fix that.

[Deborah Roberts]

But the one thing Anna couldn't fix was the actual truth behind her identity. Who was this heiress, and where did she come from? Surely not from wealth.

[Expert 1]

I'm James McComb, reporting live from home in my bathrobe, in slippers. Tonight we're talking Dunkin Poehler peppermint coffee. Gene's here with the latest. Uh, Jean, do you copy?

[Anna Sorokin]

The home with Dunkin is where you want to be.

[Expert 2]

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[Narrator]

Everyone was expectant. Everyone wanted to hear from Rachel. That's what the DA Actually was intentional, you know, to have Rachel as the poster child of this trial, to make it more human.

[Sponsor Voice]

This was really high drama, seeing these two women, former friends, coming face to face together in a courtroom.

[Deborah Roberts]

You had not seen Anna for a long time. What was it like when you walked in that courtroom to testify?

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

It was really hard. I didn't look at her until I was on the stand and was asked to identify the defendant. And then when I did look at her, she was smirking at me. I had a friend who turned out to be not at all who she said she was.

[Deborah Roberts]

If she wasn't born an heiress, then who exactly was she? The woman who claimed to be Anna Delvey was actually born Anna Sorokin, far from the skyscrapers of Manhattan in a small town in Russia. You were born in Russia?

[Anna Sorokin]

Yes.

[Deborah Roberts]

What was your childhood like? Were you happy?

[Anna Sorokin]

Yes. I grew up as a single child until my parents had another kid when I was almost 13. So I kind of see myself as a single child because I grew up by myself.

[Deborah Roberts]

How did you wind up in Germany as a family?

[Anna Sorokin]

Well, my dad always worked in Germany, so we just moved with him at some point.

[Narrator]

Anna lived in Germany in Eschweiler, which is, as Anna would say, more like upstate New York to her. It was very boring.

[Deborah Roberts]

What did your parents do?

[Anna Sorokin]

My dad, he is, like, in infrared. Heating, solar energy, business right now.

[Deborah Roberts]

And your mom?

[Anna Sorokin]

My mom. She's working with him.

[Expert 1]

Hard working people, good people, but certainly not Rolling Doe.

[Expert 4]

She clearly felt she was above it and was a woman who dreamed far bigger than her horizon.

[Deborah Roberts]

Those dreams would eventually lead to Paris. Following her lifelong interest in fashion, she eventually got a position at a glossy magazine called Purple, and Anna Sorokin morphed into Anna Delvey.

[Anna Sorokin]

I interned at Purple for almost two years, which was a great learning experience, but always thought, like, I'd be working for Vogue or something like this.

[Narrator]

We all watched the Devil Wears Prada, so I could imagine that her job was similar to that.

[Deborah Roberts]

I really did everything I could think of.

[Narrator]

If you work for a magazine like that, you meet everyone kind of like in the fashion world. And that's what she did. Anna created this name, Anna Delvey, which is for her an alter ego, just another personality that she could present to the outside world.

[Deborah Roberts]

Were you trying to escape something?

[Anna Sorokin]

I think it was about a new beginning and doing something new as opposed to, like, escaping anything.

[Sponsor Voice]

Escape or no escape. Next thing you know, Anna crosses the ocean. She jumps into New York, becomes Anna Delvey, this larger than life Persona.

[Deborah Roberts]

And that's when she began telling everybody about the idea for that art center, the Anna Delvey Foundation. And she had to come up with money to make it happen. Everything after that leads back to that courtroom in lower Manhattan and Rachel taking the stand in an emotional moment, telling about that trip to Morocco.

[Expert 2]

Anna Seroph claimed to be worth about $67 million, convincing people she was the daughter of a diplomat stealing more than.

[Deborah Roberts]

200 grand and attempting to steal millions more through elaborate scams. What was that like for you as you watched her, your friend testifying against you?

[Anna Sorokin]

I knew she didn't really want to be there, and they made her do it. She literally did not glance at me once except to like us to identify the defendant.

[Expert 3]

Rachel gets on the stand and bursts into sobs and says, this is the worst thing that's ever happened to me in my life.

[Narrator]

She said, what was I supposed to do? I didn't want to sit in jail and be in Morocco for months or even years. I believe, Rachel, that it was the most traumatic moment in her life.

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

I understand the word trauma is, you know, is relative to have someone that I had put so much goodwill into. Turn out to just be like a liar and who had willfully hurt me was very painful.

[Expert 1]

How are you going to get on the witness stand and say this is the worst thing that ever happened? The woman sold her story across the board. She literally was like, what's up? I got the story. Who wants it?

[Deborah Roberts]

There are some people who would say you benefited from her. They don't see you as a victim.

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

I understand that. But this isn't something that was worth it to me. This was not my plan. This is not something I would recommend for anybody.

[Sponsor Voice]

Despite her testimony and how traumatic this experience was for her, on cross examination, Rachel had to admit that ultimately she didn't pay that hotel bill. And she made a lot of money on that. This story. She wrote a book about it and she has a movie deal as a result.

[Expert 1]

She volunteered to give the card and the story. I'm empathetic to how Rachel felt. That's not the issue. The issue is whether Anna committed a crime by doing it.

[Deborah Roberts]

Remember, the charges against Anna go a lot farther than just that one situation with Rachel. No matter what the jurors think about Rachel as deliberations begin, the big question is, what do they think about Anna.

[Expert 2]

This morning? The fate of an alleged scam artist is now in the hands of a jury.

[Deborah Roberts]

What are you feeling as the jury is deliberating?

[Anna Sorokin]

Avala was like a great indicator that it took almost three days to decide. So it means, like it's not something, oh yeah, she's full of going to find her guilty. So I guess it just like speaks volumes. It's like how I came across.

[Expert 1]

We hoped for the best, but planned for the worst.

[Expert 2]

A New York City jury finding socialite Anna Sorokin, a so called soho grifter, guilty on eight counts, including grand larceny, attempted grand larceny and theft of services.

[Deborah Roberts]

When you hear guilty, what do you think?

[Anna Sorokin]

I mean, just deal with the consequences. What, am I supposed to collapse and cry? I don't know.

[Deborah Roberts]

I would.

[Anna Sorokin]

Well, I had like 100 cameras in my face, so I don't know.

[Expert 1]

Ultimately, it was a mixed verdict. Some counts they convicted her on and two counts they acquitted her on.

[Expert 2]

Sorokin was acquitted of two charges, including the most serious, attempting to steal a million dollars from a bank. Still, she faces deportation and up to 15 years in prison.

[Deborah Roberts]

Were you crushed?

[Anna Sorokin]

I was upset. I guess I felt like a bit misunderstood, but I felt like Rachel was a good victory.

[Sponsor Voice]

Despite Rachel's emotional testimony, the jury did not find Anna guilty for the alleged theft that $62,000 bill at the hotel in Morocco.

[Expert 3]

I think the jury would have liked to care about Rachel if she had gone on the stand and said, look, like, I got caught up. I had no business going on a trip. I couldn't pay for myself. This sounded like a lot of fun, and it turned into a nightmare. I think that she could have brought the jury along with her on that, but there was none of that.

[Deborah Roberts]

Some of the jurors didn't feel sympathetic for your situation with Anna. How did that feel for.

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

Oh, that was. That was devastating. It was devastating. To have taken the witness stand and to have felt so exposed and to have shared so publicly something that was so deeply personal and painful for me was extremely hard. And then to have that come out as the takeaway was extremely upsetting.

[Expert 2]

To the fake heiress sentenced here in New York City today, Anna Sorokin, in tears, learned she will spend up to 12 years in prison.

[Expert 1]

Her ultimate sentence was 4 to 12 years state prison.

[Sponsor Voice]

In addition to her prison sentence, Anna's ordered to pay $200,000 in restitution and an additional $24,000 in fees. But interestingly, Anna's not ordered to pay back Rachel's $62,000 credit card bill.

[Deborah Roberts]

Did you have to pay that money?

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

Ultimately, thank goodness, American Express did protect me from the hotel charge, which was the bulk of the expenses.

[Deborah Roberts]

Do you think that her sentence was just.

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

I am relieved. I think it's appropriate. She's doing time for having committed crimes. I do think that she will continue to manipulate other people for the rest of her life.

[Deborah Roberts]

Even in prison?

[Rachel DeLoach Williams]

Absolutely. In prison, yes. I think she has a problem with authority, but I. I don't suspect that will change in prison or in the future.

[Deborah Roberts]

After the guilty verdict, you are sent to Albion Correctional Facility.

[Anna Sorokin]

I actually got on the phone with my lawyer and asking, can I go back to Rikers?

[Deborah Roberts]

You wanted to go back to Rikers. Why?

[Anna Sorokin]

Because I felt like the beginning is always the hardest, completely new set of people, new inmates.

[Expert 3]

Anna's story becomes bigger after her incarceration than she ever was before.

[Deborah Roberts]

And remember that Netflix deal of more than $300,000? Well, it turns out that New York state law won't let Anna profit from her crimes. So that money first has to be used to pay back her victims.

[Expert 1]

Once the victims were paid, Anna would receive the balance.

[Deborah Roberts]

On February 11, after spending just under four years of her four to 12 year sentence in prison, Anna is released early for good behavior.

[Expert 3]

You know that I'm the type of girl who goes above and beyond. She goes Straight to a posh hotel in New York City.

[Narrator]

Ana was intended to continue with her Ana Delvey Persona. After her release, she was told that she could actually stay in America, at least for six weeks. There was a date at the end of March where she needed to talk to an immigration officer.

[Expert 1]

I said to her, lay low, get off of parole, sort out your immigration affairs, and then you'll have plenty of time to build whatever you want to build. But lo and behold, Anna is not one to heed my advice, and she decided to do what she wanted to do.

[Deborah Roberts]

You're just a few weeks out of prison, but yet you're still active on social media.

[Expert 3]

She was giving interviews on social media, really living the high life. Pictures on Instagram of, you know, drinking champagne in a footed tub and, you know, the whole gamut.

[Anna Sorokin]

I'm a Christian.

[Deborah Roberts]

Sins are forgiven. Anna even goes so far as to call herself a professional defendant. This doesn't look like a woman who has been through prison and who has learned something from. You're casually, happily back on social media.

[Anna Sorokin]

I mean, this is just like my life. So I'm just trying to channel this attention into something good.

[Deborah Roberts]

But, Anna, you have people following you on social media who say things like, queen, and I'm so pleased for you. I mean, it almost seems like this is just sort of a game to you.

[Anna Sorokin]

I mean, I cannot be responsible for what people say.

[Expert 3]

This, of course, was not looking like she was actually remorseful and felt sorry.

[Narrator]

Well, she ended up in trouble. Some of her media posts were sarcastic. Like, basically she didn't learn her lesson. You know, she's not remorseful. You know, and when she actually showed up to her appointment at immigration, they apprehended her.

[Expert 4]

I just think, how stupid can you be that you were that indiscreet? You know, she didn't think of the consequences.

[Expert 1]

I believe that she will be deported.

[Expert 5]

Anna does not want to go back to Europe.

[Expert 4]

Anna will fight being deported to Germany tooth and nail. Anna is back in jail, and I think speaking to somebody who knows her, she is cutting a lonelier figure than ever.

[Deborah Roberts]

Anna has been held in detention in immigration custody since March. Her lawyer has been trying to get her released.

[Expert 5]

Anna does not want to go back to Europe.

[Expert 3]

She had the option to be somebody different, but she kept Anna Delvey. That level of disconnect allows her to sort of operate without, you know, feeling too much ever.

[Deborah Roberts]

Who is the real Anna Delvey?

[Anna Sorokin]

I guess it remains to be seen. I'm just trying to, like, rewrite myself story.

[Expert 5]

The next step is to keep fighting. She's resilient and she's determined. I would say that Anna Delvey is not done. Anna Delvey is not going to be deported. Anna Delvey is going to reinvent herself as someone she chooses to be on her terms. And we are going to continue to help her until she says no more.

[Expert 4]

New York is the ultimate comeback place, but she would have to show real contrition to persuade people to take her seriously, and she's going to have to do that wherever she goes. But I think maybe she has more of a shot at it at the city that she didn't do.

[Sponsor Voice]

I'd love to say the lesson in this story is you can't just lie and get away with it. Anna went to prison. Anna paid some restitution. But I think this story is as old as time. That's part of what draws us to it. We want to believe that justice will be served. We want to believe that it will deter anybody else from coming along. But there's always another Anna waiting in the rafters.

[Deborah Roberts]

Mini people see you as the ultimate scammer. Are you scamming us?

[Anna Sorokin]

No, you tell me. Do you feel scammed? Do you feel scammed?

[Deborah Roberts]

Thanks for listening to the 2020 True Crime Vault. We hope you'll join us Friday nights at 9 on ABC for all new broadcast episodes. See you then.

[Expert 2]

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. It's Brad Milke, host of ABC's Daily News podcast. Start here. You chose to hit play on this podcast today. Smart choice. Make another smart choice with Auto Quote Explorer to compare rates from multiple car insurance companies all at once. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates not available in all states or situations. Prices vary based on how you buy.