For those of us who’ve been starved of gossip since the pandemic hit last year, it looks like things are about to get interesting: fake heiress Anna Delvey has been released from prison.
The 29-year-old scammer – real name Anna Sorokin – is back on the streets after serving four years in a New York correctional facility. Delvey was convicted of fraud in April 2019 after scamming, tricking, and compelling her way into exclusive social circles and parties, and conning rich attendees out of hundreds of thousands of dollars as she went. She scammed more than $200,000 (£145k) from banks and luxury hotels.
Her story was exposed in a 2018 New York Times article – since then, Delvey has become a fashion antihero for her courtroom looks, offered Donald Trump advice on how to thrive in prison, and inspired a forthcoming Netflix series, which is set to star Julia Garner as Delvey.
Delvey’s release comes less than two months after she apologised for her crimes. As reported by the New York Post, the wannabe socialite finally said she was sorry after refusing to express remorse in 2019. Delvey told a parole board: “I just want to say that I’m really ashamed and I’m really sorry for what I did. I completely understand that a lot of people suffered when I thought I was not doing anything wrong.”
Speaking to Dazed in 2019, Delvey’s former friend Rachel DeLoache Williams said the scammer “isn’t capable of remorse”. Williams was conned out of $62,000 (£51k) by Delvey, later writing a book about their friendship. “She’s Machiavellian,” Williams told Dazed. “She saw this life on social media that she wanted to emulate – she wanted to be a part of the world that, ironically, she was undermining. I think she just had this drive that was untethered by moral implications.”
Since being released from prison, Delvey has taken to social media to express her glee, rejoining Twitter with the bio: “I’m back.” The scammer shared a video of herself driving through New York, and has retweeted memes about her perceived glamorous return to a free life.
It’s time to put our bets on what will happen next – as long as it’s not Delvey we’re betting with.