The tale of Anna Delvey, also known as Anna Sorokin, is so extraordinary that it almost seems too incredible to be true. Inventing Anna, the Netflix series inspired by Jessica Pressler’s article in The Cut and produced by Shonda Rhimes, brilliantly portrays Delvey’s captivating story.

Delvey, portrayed by actress Julia Garner, convincingly portrayed herself as a German heiress and successfully deceived numerous celebrities, ascending the social ladder. Numerous photographs captured Delvey alongside the stars she fooled, illustrating the extent of her infiltration into high society. Employing a series of scams, she accomplished her aspirations for wealth and recognition, outsmarting an extensive list of renowned individuals such as Julia Fox, Billy McFarland, and Macaulay Culkin.

Using a blend of counterfeit financial papers, deceitful checks, and suspicious electronic fund transfers, Delvey skillfully misled everyone she encountered. However, her deceptive schemes eventually led to her downfall, resulting in her arrest in 2017. Following her conviction, the Soho Grifter spent a two-year term in prison and is presently confined to 24-hour house arrest with electronic surveillance, devoid of any social media privileges.

Delvey’s scams targeted a wide range of celebrities, leading to bizarre and highly publicized encounters, a few of which are highlighted below.

Con Woman Anna Delvey With Celebrities She Fooled

1. Julia Fox

lev radin/Shutterstock

Julia Fox, much like Anna Delvey, is a prominent socialite who recently gained attention for her romantic involvement with Kanye West. Fox and Delvey crossed paths through social media (as one typically does) and quickly developed a strong bond. Their friendship deepened after an engaging conversation on Clubhouse, a chat room hosted by Fox, where they found a genuine connection.

Fox’s loyalty and affection towards Delvey endure, despite her conviction for defrauding numerous individuals. She persistently stands by her deceptive companion, even going as far as publicly acknowledging and promoting an interview Delvey conducted while incarcerated on her Instagram account. It is truly admirable to have a friend as steadfast and unwavering as Fox.

2. Macaulay Culkin

Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock

During her time mingling with celebrities, unfortunate encounters happened between Macaulay Culkin and Anna Delvey. Although they weren’t particularly close, they did happen to bump into each other multiple times. Culkin even found himself seated next to Delvey at one of her hosted dinners at the prestigious Michelin-star restaurant Le Coucou. Hopefully, he didn’t end up being tricked into footing the entire bill.

3. Rachel DeLoache Williams

WBIR Channel 10/YouTube

Rachel Williams, a former photographer for Vanity Fair, played a pivotal role in bringing down Anna Delvey. Their initial encounter occurred at a nightclub in New York City back in 2016, and they subsequently developed a close friendship. Engaging in various activities together, including vacations, their bond seemed strong. However, complications arose when Delvey’s credit card failed to function, leading Williams to foot the bill amounting to an astonishing $62,000, under the assumption that Delvey would eventually reimburse her.

Contrary to the fabricated events, Williams eventually reached out to both the New York City Police Department and the County District Attorney seeking assistance in recovering her money. She played an instrumental role in tracing Delvey to Los Angeles and providing vital evidence that resulted in her imprisonment. Following the unfortunate incident, Williams transformed her ordeal into various opportunities, including the authoring of her book titled “My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress,” as well as striking deals with HBO and other content creators.

4. Neffatari “Neff” Davis

extratv/YouTube

In the series, Alexis Floyd portrays Neff Davis, the concierge at 11 Howard hotel where Anna Delvey resided during her stay in New York. Davis and Delvey developed a close bond, with Delvey frequently showing appreciation by generously tipping Davis $100 for her insightful restaurant suggestions. They even collaborated on certain tasks, strengthening their friendship.

Davis was completely clueless about Delvey’s whereabouts once she departed from the hotel. It wasn’t until Jessica Pressler, a journalist from The New York magazine, reached out to her that Davis discovered Delvey was actually serving a prison sentence in Rikers Island.

In spite of everything, Daivs maintains a friendship with Delvey and cleverly leverages her newfound fame to secure a consulting opportunity, actively pursuing her aspirations as a filmmaker.

5. Olivier Zahm

Mauro Del Signore/Shutterstock

Anna Delvey was once an intern at Purple Magazine, where she worked closely with editor-in-chief Olivier Zahm. They seemed to have developed a close friendship during Delvey’s tenure at the magazine. However, it is uncertain whether they are still friends, as Zahm has not made any mention of Delvey on social media since her arrest.

6. Chloe Fineman

Ron Adar/Shutterstock

Although Chloe Fineman had never crossed paths with Anna Delvey, a peculiar encounter took place between them following Fineman’s appearance in an SNL skit that parodied the show Inventing Anna. Delvey, thoroughly entertained by the skit and Fineman’s performance, reached out to her with a message of appreciation. To further express her admiration, Delvey even included a drawing depicting the skit that Fineman had brilliantly executed.

In an Instagram post, Fineman expressed her gratitude to Delvey for the drawing, sharing a video where she exclaimed, “I recently received this in the mail. Anna Delvey, thank you immensely. I must admit, I am at a loss for words and truly amazed. This piece is incredibly exclusive, a true testament to its VIP status.”

7. DJ Elle Dee

HÖR BERLIN/YouTube

After DJing in various venues across New York for more than ten years, DJ Elle Dee has gained extensive experience and witnessed countless situations. Consequently, when she first crossed paths with Anna Delvey, she couldn’t help but feel a bit doubtful. Their initial encounter occurred in 2014 at Montauk in the Hamptons, where Delvey expressed her desire to share a room with Dee and her friend. However, citing the lack of space as an excuse, both Dee and her friend declined Delvey’s request. They were both suspicious of this enigmatic woman, as she hardly spoke to them. The following day, when Dee noticed Delvey sleeping in a car outside the hotel, despite being informed that she was a millionaire, it raised some serious concerns.

Dee regularly crossed paths with Delvey at various events and nightclubs for several months, and consistently found her behavior to be peculiar. They had numerous strange interactions, such as Delvey’s attempt to convince Dee to cover a $35,000 hotel bill. Fortunately, Dee managed to avoid falling victim to any scams.

8. Billy McFarland

Hollyscoop/YouTube

Billy McFarland and Anna Delvey are a perfect match, resembling two peas in a pod. McFarland, known for his involvement in the ill-fated Fyre Festival, faced legal consequences for his fraudulent activities, ultimately serving four years behind bars.

Although they weren’t extremely close, Delvey had managed to become friendly with a number of McFarland’s close friends and successfully inserted herself into his life, even staying at his house for a considerable amount of time. However, their friendship abruptly ended when Delvey became upset about being expected to contribute towards rent or cover expenses, resulting in McFarland evicting her from his home and severing ties with her and his friends.

9. André Saraiva

The YouTube channel of the Museum of Contemporary Art

Not known to all, André Saraiva holds significant influence in the New York club scene. As the proprietor of Le Baron nightclubs in both NYC and Paris, he frequently engages in conversations with renowned personalities who frequent his establishments. Among them was Anna Delvey, with whom he reportedly developed a close bond during her stay in the bustling city.

10. Martin Shkreli

ABC News/YouTube

During her time in the spotlight, Anna Delvey and Martin Shkreli coincidentally encountered each other. In the series “Inventing Anna,” the infamous “Pharma Bro” is depicted attending a dinner with Delvey, where he proudly shares an advance copy of Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter V with everyone present. Remarkably, this account is entirely factual, as Shkreli recalls Delvey referring to him as a “dear friend” despite their recent acquaintance.

11. Tommy Saleh

Tommy Saleh/YouTube

During her time as a scammer, Anna Delvey encountered Tommy Saleh, a prominent celebrity. Their initial encounter took place in 2013 at Le Baron in Paris, coinciding with Fashion Week. Frequently spotted together, Saleh remarked in The Cut article about Delvey that she was a regular attendee of the most exclusive parties.

12. Michael Xufu Huang

ARTLOAD/YouTube

Just like Rachel Williams, Michael Xufu Huang, unfortunately, fell victim to Anna Delvey’s deceit, losing his hard-earned money. Huang, the collector and founder of Beijing’s M Woods museum, encountered Delvey during his time in New York. They developed a friendship and even went on a vacation together, but it ended with Huang being burdened with the entire bill.

Despite being defrauded by Devley, the art collector proceeded to buy a painting of Delvey and display it proudly in his museum.

Related Post