Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode: Anna Delvey Body Shames Herself?

Date: October 4, 2025
Host: Nancy Grace
Guests: Jeff Cortese (former FBI special agent), Wendy Patrick (California prosecutor, author), Dr. William July (psychologist), John Laemley (CrimeOnline investigative reporter)

Overview

This episode of Crime Stories with Nancy Grace dives into the ongoing saga of Anna Sorokin, aka Anna Delvey, the notorious fake heiress who conned New York's social and financial elite out of nearly $300,000. Recently, Delvey made headlines for expressing embarrassment over her weight gain during her stint in prison, a detail that provoked Nancy’s outrage given the gravity of Delvey’s actual crimes. The panel examines Delvey’s con artistry, psychological makeup, social engineering tactics, and the astonishing glamorization of her crimes in the age of social media.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Anna Delvey’s “Embarrassment” About Weight Gain

• Nancy Grace zeroes in on Anna Delvey's latest interview, where Delvey claims she’s most embarrassed about her post-prison weight gain—not her crimes (00:15):
  • “Shouldn't she be embarrassed for conning people out of a quarter million dollars?” – Nancy Grace (00:27)
• Delvey described her prison diet: Cheez-Its and Diet Coke, and talked to Page Six about feeling “self-conscious” after release.
• Nancy and the panel uniformly agree: Delvey’s priorities are misplaced and her focus on image remains central to her persona post-conviction.

The Mechanics of the Scam

• Delvey’s rise and methods (01:38):

  • Fake backstory: Wealthy Russian or German heiress, her father supposedly a “diplomat, billionaire, oil tycoon, antiques collector, or solar energy capitalist.”
  • Real background: Middle-class Russian-German family; her father a truck driver turned businessman.
  • Used phony assistants, managers, and bank records to augment the illusion of wealth.

• John Laemley describes how Delvey infiltrated Manhattan’s elite simply by showing up, fitting the part visually:

  • “Her skin is so pale, she looks like a ghost... Big glasses... hair hangs down like curtains...” (02:45)
  • Many victims wanted to believe her stories due to her aspirational lure.

• Jeff Cortese (FBI): “This was...a well-executed fraud. Over the long term, it didn't...remain sustainable.” (04:30)

Victims and Social Engineering

• Delvey’s ability to manipulate based on social cues and others’ desires to belong:

  • “Some people just...want to believe. In an Instagram savvy society, people want to be in the company of people like Anna.” – Wendy Patrick (05:23)
  • Dr. William July: “At worst... you’re looking at a psychopathological level of narcissism. At best... so much greed and desire to please herself that she doesn’t care what the consequences are for other people.” (06:45)
  • Social media is a facilitator, not the root cause: “Social media just facilitates the neediness of other people who want to believe and accept it.” – Dr. William July (07:32)

• The case of the Morocco vacation—where a friend was stuck with a $62,000 bill—exemplifies Delvey’s levels of exploitation (04:00, 23:34).

The Imaginary Life & Fake Identities

• Delvey not only invented fictional identities for herself but also populated her world with fake assistants, accountants, and managers:
  • “She also created a whole team of imaginary assistants. An assistant, an accountant, a manager.” – Nancy Grace (09:57)
  • John Laemley points out: Some associates were real—hotel staff, PR, and concierges she charmed into her “team.” (10:37)
• She faked bank records to move money around and create the illusion of wealth to secure ever-larger loans (11:05, 17:02, 21:21).

Obsession with Image and Courtroom Drama

• Delvey’s obsession with appearance extended to her trial:
  • Refused to appear if her outfit wasn’t stylish enough; hired a courtroom stylist; once entered court wearing a black dress with a plunging neckline and choker—choices experts believe hurt her case (13:11–14:43).
    • “This is not a fashion show.” – Angry Judge (14:45)
    • “The choker kind of shows to me that she's trying to be overtly sexy. The more sexy she appears to be, the more it hurts her.” – Court stylist commentary (14:28)
• Prosecutors and Nancy both emphasize that Delvey was more concerned about her clothes than her victims or her crimes.

The Psychology of the Con

• Dr. William July highlights: Adults can create and maintain elaborate fictional lives. It’s not just delusion, but calculated manipulation and charm to pull others in (18:35, 31:42).
• Wendy Patrick on defense strategy: “You don’t want ‘fake it till you make it’ as your defense in a fraud case. You’re admitting you’re faking it!” (34:54)

Verdict and Fallout

• Delvey was ultimately convicted of grand larceny, attempted grand larceny, and theft of services. The jury found little sympathy for her or the “there’s a little Anna in all of us” defense (36:01).
• She faces up to 15 years in prison and likely deportation to Germany post-sentence.
• Nancy closes by urging Delvey to “be quiet”: “Silence is golden. Keep all those special feelings to yourself and they'll be even more special.” (37:25)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Delvey’s Priorities:

  • “She should be embarrassed about conning friends, ripping them off to the tune of about a quarter million dollars. How did she do it? Let's take a little flashback.” – Nancy Grace (00:28)
  • “That’s probably how your friends felt after you sucked all the money out of their bank accounts.” – Nancy Grace, on Delvey’s complaints about Ozempic (27:45)

• On Social Manipulation:

  • “Some people just...want to believe. In an Instagram savvy society, people want to be in the company of people like Anna.” – Wendy Patrick (05:23)
  • “Social media...is just a facilitator to the neediness of other people who want to believe and accept it.” – Dr. William July (07:32)

• On Courtroom Style:

  • “She was more concerned about what she wore to court every day. She actually had a personal stylist.” – Nancy Grace (13:00)
  • “This is not a fashion show.” – Judge to Delvey (14:45)

• On Fake-it-Till-You-Make-It Defense:

  • “You don’t want ‘fake it till you make it’ as your defense in a fraud case. You’re admitting you’re faking it!” – Wendy Patrick (34:54)
  • “There's a little bit of Anna in all of us.”—Defense claim, derided by Nancy Grace (35:24)

• On Imaginary Life:

  • “But an adult...can have these types of imaginary lives...As much as she can get other people to buy into this, then...she’s going to expand that imaginary life.” – Dr. William July (18:35)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:15–01:40 – Nancy’s introduction & Delvey’s new complaint about post-prison weight
• 03:31–07:40 – Discussion of Delvey’s social engineering, victims, Instagram-age context
• 08:59–11:29 – The mechanics of Delvey’s financial scam, fake assistants, loan fraud
• 13:11–15:05 – Courtroom fashion, defense strategies, and the imagery of the trial
• 17:02–18:35 – Creating a web of lies: Moving money, manipulating banks
• 21:21–22:43 – How Delvey used funds from one fraud to facilitate another
• 23:34–25:37 – Morocco story: victim stuck with $62,000 bill; the appeal and consequences
• 27:26–29:54 – Anna’s continued focus on image and use of income for dubious purposes
• 34:43–36:01 – Defense strategy, closing arguments, why the jury wasn’t swayed

Conclusion

Nancy Grace’s take is clear and unrelenting: Anna Delvey (Sorokin) constructed a fantasy world at the expense of banks, corporations, and especially friends. The panel underscores that the real crime is the manipulation and betrayal of trust, not the superficial matters Delvey chooses to focus on. The story continues to captivate the public, but Nancy predicts, “we have not heard the last from Anna Delvey.” (37:25)