Is inventing Anna based on a true story? The real Anna Sorokin explained.

Inventing Anna is a popular Netflix adaptation that aired in February 2022. The Netflix show enthralled the viewers with an engaging story of dupe and deception by a woman named Anna Sorokin who pretended to be a wealthy German heiress, taking the name Anna Delvey.

After seasons of watching the show, if you are wondering whether Inventing Anna is based on a true story, you are absolutely right. Let us uncover the real Miss Sorokin, one detail at a time:

Anna mastered the art of impersonation and duped many New York banks. Julia Garner gives a stunning performance as Delvey and conveys with perfect ease the stunts that she pulled off. She was an expert at fooling fancy socialites and conning financial institutions and expensive hotels.

The stories open with a stunning contradiction, with a declaration: "This whole story is completely true. Except for all the parts that are totally made up." In 2018, a magazine article titled 'How Anna Delvey Tricked New York's Party People’ (by Jessica Pressler) was published. Reportedly, the series took inspiration from this article.

The fictionalized Delvey: An overview of Inventing Anna

Delvey is a visionary with a knack for business, but that is not her only talent. She is an expert schemer, a woman so perfect in duping that it takes numerous investigations to get to her. Alongside Anna’s journey, the show also presents the journey of a journalist, Vivian Kent (a character inspired by Jessica Pressler and acted for screen by Anna Chlumsky).

It is Vivian who unveils Delvey’s intricate narrative through the perspective and admissions of those who knew her. The show dials back to past days of Delvey when she infiltrated the most elite, exclusive New York social circles, and funded her growingly lavish lifestyle and ambitious venture, Anna Delvey Foundation.

How did Sorokin lay her plan?

The original story that inspired both the article and the adaptation is no less thrilling. The real Anna Sorokin hailed from a Russian town but was mostly brought up in Germany. When she deceived people, she fabricated a different story. She told others about her family’s rich inheritance when in reality she had a humble upbringing.

Her father was in the occupation of driving, and her mother worked in a small convenience store. Later, Sorokin relocated to Paris for a degree in fashion designing, but soon she took up the moniker Anna Delvey.

In New York, Sorokin was aided with the knowledge of German culture due to her upbringing in the country. Therefore, it was easy for her to claim the personality of the wealthy heiress and claim a €60 million trust fund.

She fabricated fake bank credentials and credit cards, but the most ambitious venture she took up was her Anna Delvey Foundation. This foundation was supposed to be an arts club that she used to reach affluent donors. This club also lent her impersonation an element of legitimacy.

Where is she now?

Real Anna Sorokin In New York - Source: Getty

In October 2017, Anna’s plans were exposed. A sting operation sealed her fate in California during legal proceedings. Upon further investigation, the numbers became clear: She had illicitly acquired a solid $275,000.

In 2019, she was charged with various offenses including larceny and theft of services, and was sent to prison for 4 to 12 years. Alongside the jail time, Sorokin was also charged with a $24,000 fine with a further $199,000 in restitution.

This was not the end of legal proceedings against her. Later, she was again taken into custody for overstaying her visa by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). She was released in 2022, but she had even more restrictions on her.

Currently, according to reports, Sorokin is living under strict house arrest in East Village of New York City. However, it is reported that she still continues to explore various ventures, including creating her own podcast.

Some more facts on the Netflix series

1. The private jet scam scene actually happened:

The scene where Anna is depicted chartering a private jet to Omaha, Nebraska, for Warren Buffett's conference is actually true. She failed to pay for it, and hence, Sorokin persuaded Blade.

She managed a payment of $35,000 by providing a forged wire transfer confirmation to get the ride. The company's CFO later spoke about the incident, admitting that she came off as reliable and as someone who would pay the amount due to her close acquaintance with the elite CEO circle.

2. Anna’s acquaintance with other notorious figures:

The show faithfully depicted her real-life acquaintances with influential, notorious people. Namely, she knew Billy McFarland, the planning mind behind the infamous Fyre Festival.

It is reported that Sorokin was able to stay in the headquarters of McFarland's defunct credit card company, Magnises, for four months. Another mentionable detail concerned Martin Shkreli, who is often referred to as the ‘Pharma Bro.’

Martin was infamous for reportedly increasing the cost of a critical medicine.