A few strawberries dipped in chocolate are served with champagne while you relax in one of several hot tubs in your NYC penthouse. The soft light of night fills your home and psychologically prepares you for your evening plans. What are you in the mood for? Supper with the Kardashians or a massive dinner at Le Coucou with CEOs, artists, sportsmen, and other celebrities in attendance?
Many people dream of such luxury and leisure but choose not to pursue it due to their awareness of the associated risks and potential outcomes. However, there are still individuals who cannot fathom how the pursuit of wealth can lead to negative consequences. In this case, Anna Sorokin’s journey serves as an instructive example of how a young adult can push the boundaries of society. Yet, society itself played along, glamorizing her and depicting her actions as if tricking the system were a simple feat.
This is the story of Anna Sorokin: a con artist and fraudster who posed as a wealthy heiress to access the upper echelons of the New York social and art scene.
To some, money holds limited power, but to others, money is incredibly important, coercing them to take extreme measures for a rush of cash. This is precisely what Anna Sorokin believed and acted on by tricking “New York’s Party People”. Despite four years of fraud and her visible lack of remorse during her trial, she was released on good behavior on February 11, 2021. In March 2021, six weeks after her release, she was taken back into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for overstaying her visa. Her cons and fraudulent behavior were glamorized in a documentary, “The Sinfluencer of Soho ” in 2021, and a TV show on Netflix called “Inventing Anna” in the same year. It appears that our society rewards those who manipulate the system with fame, instead of punishing them with obscurity.
In the courtroom, prosecutors portrayed Anna Sorokin’s ambition as a quest to experience an opulent lifestyle far beyond her financial means. However, her defense team argued that Sorokin’s actions weren’t unique, contending that many people understand that projecting superficial glamor is often the key to acceptance in the social circles she was aiming for.
“Fake it until you make it,” declared her lawyer, Todd Spodek. He acknowledged the ethical question surrounding Sorokin’s conduct but insisted it wasn’t necessarily illegal, asserting that she had intentions to repay everyone. “As any millennial can attest,” he stated, “it’s not uncommon to harbor aspirations of grandeur.”
However, the jury reached its decision, acquitting Sorokin of certain charges, including an alleged attempt to fraudulently secure a $22 million loan and accusations of swindling $60,000 from a friend, Rachel Williams, who funded an extravagant trip to Morocco.
Sorokin’s story began at 11 Howard, a fancy hotel in NYC. When she slipped a $100 bill to the concierge, Neff, for knowing the “best food in Soho” since she could not choose between Carbone, Mercer Kitchen and Butcher’s Daughter, her life as a wealthy heiress formally began. The concierge, taken aback since she had never seen such a young girl with so much money, questioned her name and checked her credentials. She was correct: Sorokin’s name was Anna Delvey of the German Delvey family interested in antiques, and she was going to stay in a Howard Deluxe room ($400 per night) for a month, an unusual length because such extended stays were normally reserved for celebrities.
However, the concierge began to receive calls from restaurants requesting her information because “she did not pay her bill.” Neff grew suspicious. Later, hotel management learned that there was no credit card on file for Sorokin and demanded that she pay her $30,000 bill; however, she continued refusing to offer a credit card and opted to pay in cash, which was not permitted.
Sorokin invited her friend, Rachel Williams, on a vacation to Morocco in May 2017. She rented a $7,000-per-night room with a private butler at La Mamounia, an extravagant resort in Marrakech. Each day, the pair would wake up to massages and spend their days wandering the souk, a marketplace, and sunbathing by the pool. The vacation did not go as planned: Sorokin’s card declined, and William was forced to write a check, leaving her with $60,000 in credit card debt that Sorokin never repaid. William decided to assist with Sorokin’s arrest after learning that she was being investigated by the NYPD.
Neff declared that in Sorokin’s lexicon, the words “please” or “thank you” did not exist, and she would sometimes say things that were “Not racist,” Neff said, “but classist.” However, Sorokin saw New York’s spirit and knew that if someone could distract with a credit card, enormous wads of cash, or the indication of riches, they would be almost unable to perceive that person as anything other than wealthy.
Sorokin’s actions and deceit imply that tricking the system and committing fraud seems easier than one may think, but as in Sorokin’s case, the truth will always come out. Even if someone commits a morally wrong action, they may be glorified anyway and get what it is they want: for Sorokin, it was fame and wealth. Sorokin’s dream was to be known and have unimaginable money, no matter the costs. Society gave her that in creating documentaries, TV shows, and articles that empower and glorify her actions.
