Netflix Paid 'Fake Heiress' Anna Delvey Six Figures For The Rights To Her Story
Anna Delvey (real name: Anna Sorokin) made the news after a 2018 Vanity Fair piece extensively detailed how she conned wealthy New Yorkers out of their money.
The Russia-born fraudster, who was convicted of eight felony charges in 2019, swindled an estimated $275,000 from hotels, friends, and even financial institutions. She was given a prison sentence of four to 12 years—but she was released from Rikers after just two years served.
She is now in ICE custody and the subject of a Netflix miniseries titled Inventing Anna.
Anna Delvey became infamous in 2018 for her starring role in a Vanity Fair piece that broke down how she conned wealthy New Yorkers out of their riches by pretending to be a German heiress. The story detailed how Anna (real name: Anna Sorokin) pretended to live a life of luxury and have access to some serious cash.
But Anna was caught, convicted, and sent to jail for her extensive crimes—having swindled an estimated $275,000 from hotels, friends, and even financial institutions.
And now, Anna is the subject of an upcoming Netflix drama titled Inventing Anna. Given the fact that she sold her story to the wildly popular streaming service and legendary producer Shonda Rhimes, you’re probably wondering how much Anna is worth right now. Fair.
Here’s a breakdown of what you need to know.
She said she had a hefty trust fund.
She claimed she was worth $60 million, per the New York Post, but the whole thing was completely made up.
She stole a lot of cash.
Anna stole an estimated $275,000 from her friends, businesses, and hotels, the Post reports. She also tried to get a $22 million loan from a bank at one point but was unsuccessful.
She made a lot by selling her story.
According to Insider, Anna made $320,000 from Netflix for the rights to turn her life story into a TV series. But that got a little complicated. New York state froze her assets in May 2019, as part of its "Son of Sam" law, which prevents criminals from profiting off of their crimes.
Anna’s money was eventually unfrozen.
After her Netflix deal, Anna paid off her victims to the tune of $199,000, Insider says. She also shelled out $24,000 in state fines. Technically, she didn’t have to do this—if she successfully appealed her case, she would be able to hold onto the money. "If the appeal would overturn her conviction, all with the judgment—financial and punitive and otherwise—would be gone," Dmitriy Shakhnevich, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told Insider.
"I just want to say that I'm really ashamed and I'm really sorry for what I did," Anna said in court, per the Post. "I completely understand that a lot of people suffered when I thought I was not doing anything wrong."
Because she paid back a lot of her victims, a judge ordered the state to unfreeze Anna’s bank account and allow her to use whatever money she has left.
She had legal fees to pay, too.
Naturally, Anna’s lawyers wanted to get paid as well. Anna has paid off $75,000 in legal fees, per Insider, and will likely have to pay more.
So, how much is Anna Delvey worth now?
Probably not much. After paying back her victims and legal fees, Anna is maybe left with $22,000. It’s unclear what the terms of her deal with Netflix are, but it’s possible she could make more money off of her infamy in the future.
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