Part-time grifter Anna Delvey has just been released from prison and is now out and about for the first time since her story was portrayed in a hit Netflix series earlier this year. Inventing Anna told the (mostly) true story of Delvey (also known as Anna Sorokin) who racked up a hefty $275,000 bill around various New York hotels and banks after claiming she was an heiress waiting for her father to wire over some money. Spoiler alert: he never did, and Delvey was charged with fraud and intentionally deceiving major financial institutions.
After going to jail in 2017, Delvey was then taken into immigration custody where she has been for the last 18 months. Today, the fake heiress is a free woman, so naturally, her first step is to do a tell-all interview with CNN. Only the “Telling” is more like Delvey still insisting she didn’t do anything wrong, and Jake Tapper wasn’t having it.
While speaking with Delvey, Tapper attempted to find even a small hint of remorse coming from the grifter, though she stood her ground. Tapper then asked if Delvey ever apologized, to which she said she apologized in court, but not to anyone personally…including her friend who she stole $62,000 from. “Well, I didn’t steal any money from friends,” she said. “And everybody else is a financial institution.” Tapper then said there was no way that this was a “victimless crime” because she took advantage of people, “I definitely did,” she noted. “And I was younger, and I’ve learned from my mistakes.”
Anna Sorokin, who rose to infamy by portraying herself as Anna Delvey, a wealthy member of New York elite, tells CNN’s Jake Tapper that she regrets the activities that sent her to jail https://t.co/us98qsIyoX pic.twitter.com/S0tSe6GvDt
— CNN (@CNN) October 13, 2022
Despite a vague statement about making mistakes, Delvey still thinks that she is owed another shot in the spotlight. “I feel like a deserve a second chance, it was my mistake that I made,” the con artist/sometimes real artist said. “I served my time and I feel like I should deserve a second opportunity.”
Tapper then asked a loaded question about how Americans responded to Delvey’s fame. “Do you think there is something about the US where we are fascinated by con artists, grifters, liars?” This was proven by the fact that Inventing Anna became a huge streaming hit as part of the Summer of Scammers.
“I would say so, yes,” Devley said. “If I were to be prosecuted for similar crimes in Germany, I don’t think people would really care,” she noted. “I never really wanted to be famous…I just wanted to work on my business.” Delvey was open about the influx of marriage proposals and fans she made while in jail, so Americans are definitely fascinated with her crimes. It’s only a matter of time before she has a reality show or begins dating Pete Davidson.