Unapologetic scammer Anna Delvey conned her way to the top of New York’s elite, and was rewarded with a prison sentence and a Netflix documentary. Now, in news that will devastate the grifter, Delvey may not be entitled to the profits from the upcoming project.

Posing as a German heiress, Delvey (whose real name is Anna Sorokin) scammed friends, rich businessmen, and even hotels and banks out of tens of thousands of dollars in order to fund her lavish lifestyle. After being caught out in May 2018, Delvey was convicted of fraud in April this year and sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.

Netflix reportedly offered Delvey $100,000 (£80,458) to adapt her story, $30,000 (£24,137) of which she received upfront and used to pay her lawyer’s fees. As well as the remaining $70,000 (£56,320), the scammer was also due a $7,500 (£6,034) royalty fee, and an extra $15,000 (£12,068) per episode.

Although the remaining $70k was due in June, Delvey is yet to see any of the profits as, according to the New York Post, NY’s state Attorney General’s Office has invoked the ‘Son of Sam’ law which prohibits people convicted of crimes from exploiting them commercially. Enacted in 1977 to prevent serial killer David Berkowitz from selling his story, the law enables the state’s Crime Victims Board to hold any profits before deciding whether the money should go to the victims instead.

The law is obviously vital in stopping heinous criminals from making money off their crimes (and in the case of murder, their victims), but will disappoint Delvey who needs the funds for her fierce courtroom looks.

The upcoming documentary is set to be written by Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy and How to Get Away with Murder), and will be based on the New York Magazine article that exposed Delvey’s alter-ego. A release date hasn’t been confirmed yet.