Money Crimes with Nicole Lapin - SCAM: Anna Sorokin

Episode Date: April 10, 2025

After moving to New York in 2013, 19-year-old Anna Sorokin pursued her dreams of becoming a socialite by falling in with the city's elite -- only she couldn't afford it. Still she kept up appearances ...by scamming hotels, friends, and banks - alike. But the mirage only lasted for so long... Money Crimes is a Crime House Original. Follow us on social media, @crimehouse for more true crime content. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 This is Crime House. Imposter Syndrome. We all have it from time to time. Feeling like we don't belong somewhere. Like we don't deserve something. Like if someone sees who we truly are, our whole world will come crashing down, even if we've worked really hard to get where we are. There's been one foolproof thing that always defeats imposter syndrome. Unwavering confidence.
Starting point is 00:00:40 Confidence does more than boost your self-esteem. It opens doors. With the right attitude and the right outfit, you can accomplish a lot more than you think. But what happens when that imposter syndrome isn't a syndrome at all? And someone really is just an imposter. One with so much confidence that they can even convince themselves of their lives. Well, that's when you get a person like Anna Delphi. For a while, she had it all. Luxury hotels, designer clothes, front row seats to the kind of life some people only dream about. But it was all built on a lie.
Starting point is 00:01:25 And when the truth surfaced, the upper-crust socialites of New York City had one giant question. Who even was Anna Delvey? Those who don't understand history are doomed to repeat it. That's especially true when it comes to money. To protect your assets, you need to spot the traps before they happen. This is Money Crimes, a Crime House original. I'm your host Nicole Lapin. Every Thursday we uncover the world's most infamous financial crimes and talk about how
Starting point is 00:02:06 to avoid becoming a victim yourself. Some even end in murder. Crime House exists because of you. Please rate, review, and follow Money Crimes wherever you get your podcasts. For early ad-free access and bonus content, subscribe to CrimeHouse Plus on Apple Podcasts. And for even more true crime stories that all happened this week in history, check out CrimeHouse The Show. Each episode covers multiple cases unified by the same theme, so every week you'll get
Starting point is 00:02:37 something a little different. This episode is all about Anna Sorokin, aka Anna Delvey. In the mid-2010s, this ambitious social climber posed as a wealthy German heiress and rubbed elbows with New York's elites. She swindled friends, hotels, and even major banks out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. But eventually the authorities caught on to Anna's scams. And try as she might, there was no fooling the American justice system. So I've got some exciting news. Crime House Studios is launching a brand new original
Starting point is 00:03:21 show called Killer Minds. Host hosted by licensed forensic psychologist Dr. Tristan Ingalls and Crime House's Vanessa Richardson, each episode features a deep dive into the psychology of a notorious murderer, from serial killers to cult leaders, deadly exes and spree killers. Killer Minds is a Crime House original. New episodes drop every single Monday and Thursday. Follow wherever you get your podcasts. With the Fizz loyalty program, you get rewarded just for having a mobile plan.
Starting point is 00:03:55 You know, for texting and stuff. And if you're not getting rewards like extra data and dollars off with your mobile plan, you're not with Fizz. Switch today. Conditions apply. Details at fizz.ca. Okay, Martin, let's try one. Remember, big. You got it. The Ford It's a Big Deal event is on. How's that? A little bigger. The Ford It's a Big Deal event. Nice. Now the offer? Lease a 2025 Escape Active All-Wheel Drive from 198 bi-weekly at 1.99% APR for 36 months with $27.55 down. Wow, that's like $99 a week.
Starting point is 00:04:28 Yeah, it's a big deal. The Ford It's a Big Deal event. Visit your Toronto area Ford store or Ford.ca today. Long before she was Hollywood's darling criminal, Anna Sorokin was just an unremarkable working-class girl. She was born in 1991 in Domo de Odova, Russia, a gray industrial suburb south of Moscow, to a truck driver father and a shopkeeper mother. Her parents worked hard and lived simply. There was no glitz, no glamour, just the steady, predictable rhythm of an ordinary life.
Starting point is 00:05:10 But it wasn't long before things started to change. In 2007, when Anna was 16, her family uprooted and moved to a small, blue-collar town in Germany called Eschweiler. Her father wanted to build a better life for them away from Russia, but the move was difficult for Anna. It didn't help that she barely spoke German. Some of her classmates there remembered her as quiet and awkward, never quite fitting in. However, others claimed that she had a cruel streak that actually scared them. She had a knack for mocking others. Anna herself even admitted she enjoyed
Starting point is 00:05:54 tormenting one of the other girls in her class for no apparent reason. One thing was clear though, Anna wasn't like everyone else. She embraced the unconventional, and her heroes were controversial to say the least. She was obsessed with Marie Antoinette. Her favorite movie was Mean Girls, but she rooted for Regina George to win. There was something about these powerful, cruel, and well-dressed women that spoke to her. It might have had something to do with how much Anna loved fashion. Her favorite pastime was sitting alone in her room, flipping through copies of Vogue.
Starting point is 00:06:37 She studied the faces of models and socialites, then memorized the brands they wore and the places they went. Online, she followed the celebrities who floated between fashion weeks and private jets, the ones who made luxury look effortless. Did Anna dream of leaving her ordinary town and joining them? Of course she did. But to her, it was more than just a dream. Anna knew it would happen one day. It was her destiny. So at 18, Anna left home, ready to step into the life she imagined for herself.
Starting point is 00:07:19 London was her first stop. Art school at Central Saint Martin's. She probably saw it as a bridge to joining the fashion world, but the reality didn't match the vision in her head. She wanted to be part of the art scene, not just sit in a classroom and learn about it. So she dropped out within a year and went back to Germany. There she landed an internship at a PR firm where she learned a different kind of art.
Starting point is 00:07:49 The art of perception. In Anna's mind, who you knew mattered. What you wore mattered. She didn't have any money herself, but she was starting to understand how wealthy people operated. but she was starting to understand how wealthy people operated, how people who had it spoke, and how they carried themselves in the world. But Anna's real education came in 2013 when she moved to Paris for an internship at Purple, a glossy insider fashion magazine, just like the kind she used to study religiously in
Starting point is 00:08:27 her room as a kid. The pay was barely enough to live on, 400 euros a month, but her parents covered the rest. Her dad had started his own company after moving to Germany and was doing well enough to subsidize his daughter's ambitions. And Anna was eager to take his money, even as she tried to distance herself from her family. As part of her reinvention, she dropped the name Sorokin and called herself Anna Delvey. She thought it sounded expensive and important, a name people wouldn't question.
Starting point is 00:09:10 That summer, she tried it out when she visited New York for Fashion Week. And once she was in the city, she knew this was the place she wanted to be forever. She convinced Purple to transfer her to their New York office. But she was fired shortly after. Anna looked for ways to spin her dismissal. She claimed she wasn't fired from Purple. She quit. And she wasn't unemployed. She was simply looking for her next big thing. employed, she was simply looking for her next big thing. As Anna searched for opportunities, she crossed paths with people in similar positions, many of them just as obsessed with the glamorous life as she was. One of those people was actually Billy McFarland.
Starting point is 00:10:00 You might know him as the Fire Festival Guy. In 2013, Billie had created an elite credit card targeted at millennials who wanted to live the high life. In exchange for a $250 annual fee, members got access to a lot of perks, including a swanky SoHo townhouse where Billie threw lavish parties with celebrity guests. Anna became a regular at Billie's townhouse. When she found herself without a place to stay, she crashed on their sofa for four months. Later, the world would learn that Billie didn't have enough money to pay for the clubhouse or any of those parties, and the
Starting point is 00:10:45 entire company was built on a scam. Don't worry, we'll be covering Billy's entire story on an episode soon. But when it came to Anna, it's not clear if she knew the truth about Billy back in 2013. Either way, he made a big impression on her. And hanging with Billie's crowd only made Anna more determined to live large. The problem was, she didn't have any of Billie's natural charisma. But she did know how to act like she belonged among the rich and famous. So she reinvented herself as one of them. She wore only designer clothes.
Starting point is 00:11:28 Her wardrobe featured Gucci sandals and Balenciaga totes. She treated serving staff like they were beneath her and often joked about calling for a helicopter to beat the traffic. Now Anna insists she never told anyone she was actually an heiress to a large fortune. But whether she said the words or not, that's what she led people to believe. She kept her background ambiguous and allowed people to fill in the blanks. Her father was a diplomat or an an oil tycoon, or an antiques dealer. No one really knew the whole story. But they felt confident she was a rich kid with a big trust fund and even bigger dreams.
Starting point is 00:12:20 Those visions included her own private members-only club. Only this would be part gallery, part event space, and part social hub for the elite. She called it the Anna Delvey Foundation. Anna imagined rooftop parties and rare exhibits, a place where artists and billionaires would mingle over handcrafted cocktails and avant-garde installations. She put together an 80-page proposal detailing every aspect of her plan.
Starting point is 00:12:57 And she knew just the spot. The Church Missions House, a historic six-story landmark on Park Avenue. She told people she had already secured the lease with help from a powerful connection, the son of famed Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, who she'd met in 2015. She said it so confidently that no one even bothered to check if it was true. But she wasn't just throwing the idea around at parties. She actually met with top food and beverage consultants to chat about menus and guest lists as if the deal was already done.
Starting point is 00:13:39 Spoiler alert, it was not. Of course, any large undertaking like this couldn't exist without paperwork. Friends of friends connected her with a high-powered law firm called Gibson Dunn to help her secure the funding. By then, Anna was quite an expert in financial jargon, so nothing she said to investors raised any alarm bells. Quite the opposite, actually. She seemed like a very serious and astute businesswoman.
Starting point is 00:14:11 Plus, Anna was very good at making wealth appear out of thin air. She claimed to have $25 million of her own money already invested in the project, which no one questioned. Because from the project, which no one questioned. Because from the outside, it all looked legitimate. And to Anna, all that mattered was that investors, banks, and other rich socialites were starting to take notice. Shockingly, Anna later said that her motive behind the foundation had nothing to do with making money.
Starting point is 00:14:45 All she cared about was power. She wanted to be the kind of person she pretended to be. The sheer scale of her project would be ambitious for anyone, let alone a 23-year-old with no track record to speak of. But people who knew Anna thought she was capable of anything. That confidence had already carried her this far. And Anna wasn't gonna stop now. Hey everyone, it's Nicole.
Starting point is 00:15:24 With an exciting update, Crime House Studios is launching a new original show called Killer Minds. Hosted by licensed forensic psychologist Dr. Tristan Ingalls and Crime House's Vanessa Richardson, each episode of Killer Minds features a deep dive into the psychology of a notorious murderer. From infamous serial killers to ruthless cult leaders, deadly exes, and terrifying spree killers. Along with Vanessa's immersive storytelling full of high stakes, twists, and turns, Dr. Ingalls will be providing expert analysis of
Starting point is 00:15:58 the people involved. Not just how they killed, but why. Killer Minds is a CrimeHouse Studios original. New episodes drop every Monday and Thursday. Follow wherever you get your podcasts. In 2014, 23-year-old Anna Sorokin, the dropout fashion intern, had officially disappeared. She was replaced by Anna Delvey, the eccentric heiress to a German dynasty that no one thought to question. Anna lived and breathed the lie. She talked endlessly about her plans for the Anna Delvey Foundation and all the meetings
Starting point is 00:16:46 she was taking to make it happen. In an email to a Silicon Valley publicist, she said she was looking for investors with deep pockets who would be a quote, cultural fit for the project. But even with great PR, she couldn't get enough traction. No one worth their salt wanted to invest. Still, Anna knew, at the end of the day, it wasn't about her attitude, it was about her connections. A referral from the right person can open almost any door.
Starting point is 00:17:26 Anna realized all she needed was a champion who could unlock them. She found it in Hunter Lee Suick. Hunter had been a model and a photographer before becoming a tech entrepreneur. He was well-connected, ambitious, and wealthy. In other words, Hunter was everything Anna needed. Anna and Hunter began dating in 2014 and quickly became inseparable. With Hunter by her side, she wasn't just networking with the city's elite, she was one of them. Hunter introduced Anna to CEOs, fashion magnates, and PR executives.
Starting point is 00:18:11 He also paid for the lifestyle she had grown to love. You might be wondering why he'd do that if she was supposed to be so rich. But Anna had an explanation. She claimed her money was tied up in a trust fund, and she couldn't access it until she turned 25. And since Hunter wasn't strapped for cash, he didn't even bat an eye when she asked him to foot the bills. They traveled constantly, hopping between luxury hotels all over the world. Anna played the part of a rich heiress flawlessly, draping herself in designer clothes, stacking
Starting point is 00:18:52 Cartier bracelets on her wrists, and carrying herself like someone who never had to check a price tag in her life. She tipped hundred dollar bills like they were loose change, slipping them to hotel concierges, bartenders, maids, you name it. But it wasn't about generosity. It was about image. Anna liked being the kind of person who threw money at people. On a whim, she would order drinks for everyone at the bar or have an infrared sauna delivered to her hotel.
Starting point is 00:19:27 She indulged crazy ideas just to see if anyone would stop her. And the more she did it, the more legitimate she appeared. But as they say, all good things must come to an end. And in 2016, she and Hunter called it quits. I'm not sure why, but Anna seemed determined to keep living the same lifestyle anyway. Problem was, acting like a rich heiress is expensive, and Anna was straight broke. That same year, she hired a PR firm to organize a birthday party for herself at a bougie Soho restaurant.
Starting point is 00:20:15 A lot of hip, successful people came, but when it came time to pay the bill, her credit card was declined. Several days later, the restaurant contacted one of her acquaintances, who was surprised to learn Anna still hadn't paid. Everyone knew Anna was generous with her money, so they overlooked the red flags. For example, Anna had a habit of borrowing money from friends, promising to pay them
Starting point is 00:20:43 back and then conveniently forgetting. She'd ask people to pay for her taxi or to let her sleep at their place for a few days. If she did pay people back, it was always in cash. That's because Anna had started depositing fake checks, then withdrawing the money in cash before the checks bounced. It took a surprisingly long time for the banks to catch on to her scam because she was treated like a VIP.
Starting point is 00:21:15 For example, she was introduced to Citibank's managing director through one of his super wealthy clients. This made him reluctant to chase her down for the almost $90,000 she owed. Another part of her scheme involved living out of hotels. And Anna preferred the newer, more exclusive venues like the Highline Hotel. Most hotels demand a credit card when you check in. But Anna used her connections with famous people, as well as forged documents proving her wealth to avoid that.
Starting point is 00:21:50 Instead, she promised to pay the hotels with wire transfers that never materialized. When they caught on to her con, she'd simply leave the hotel and stay somewhere else. And in New York City, there's a swanky hotel on every city block. Meanwhile, she continued to attend exclusive parties and dine out like royalty, which only drew more of New York City's elite into her orbit.
Starting point is 00:22:21 In February of 2016, she met a Vanity Fair photographer named Rachel Williams. Williams had seen Anna with people she knew on Instagram. They bonded over drinks and started going out to clubs together. Rachel was captivated by the way Anna lived. Anna ate what she wanted, said what she wanted, and did what she wanted. According to Rachel, things did seem a little sus though. Anna had thousands of Instagram followers, but almost no real friends besides her. But in exchange for Rachel's company and adoration, Anna treated her to the lifestyle she already enjoyed.
Starting point is 00:23:06 She also talked Rachel's ear off about the Anna Delvey Foundation, which she said was only a few signatures away from completion. Like always, Anna explained that she'd already leased the building and was working on getting a loan to pay for its redevelopment. She wowed Rachel with stories of all of the meetings she took with high-powered lawyers, bankers, and investors. By the way, a lot of those meetings were real. In November of 2016, Anna's lawyer connected her with someone at City National Bank in
Starting point is 00:23:44 hopes of securing a $25 million loan. Obviously, banks don't just hand out that kind of money without proof of collateral. So Anna claimed her assets were in Swiss bank accounts. When City National asked for proof of these assets, Anna had her office manager, Peter, email a balance sheet. This was basically a list of what she owned versus what she owed. In his letter, Peter promised to send a physical copy as well. Only Peter didn't actually exist.
Starting point is 00:24:19 He was just an email account Anna ran herself. And when the fictional paper copy didn't arrive, City National denied her loan request. In December, Anna tried again. This time with a private equity firm called Fortress Investment Group. The bankers were interested, but they weren't about to say yes without some due diligence first. They wanted to hire investigators to dig into her finances to make sure everything was legit, and they wanted her to pay for it. For whatever reason, Anna agreed.
Starting point is 00:24:58 So Anna returned to her first contact at Citi National Bank. They hadn't been comfortable lending her millions of dollars, but she convinced them to at least loan her 100,000 for now. Then she started writing checks to Fortress to process that loan application. In fact, she paid Fortress $45,000 before she realized she'd made a huge mistake. Here's what happened.
Starting point is 00:25:28 She claimed her trust fund was in Switzerland. So Fortress was getting ready to send a representative there to see if that fund really existed. But when they told Anna they were going boots on the ground, she quickly canceled the deal. Then instead of returning the rest of the loan to City National, she kept it for herself. 30 grand paid off the hotel she was staying at, and the rest went into her pocketbook. But Anna was on shaky ground, and as 2017 rolled around, her world started to crack
Starting point is 00:26:04 at the seams. She was evicted from one hotel after another, and her cash flow troubles became even more evident. One night, she went out to dinner with a friend, and her credit card was declined. The friend remembered her handing the waiter a sheet with a dozen more credit card numbers listed on it. The waiter shook his head as he tried them all, one right after the other, until her friend finally just paid the bill. But Anna seemed totally unfazed. At the beginning of May, she rented a private jet and flew
Starting point is 00:26:42 to Omaha, Nebraska to try and meet billionaire Warren Buffett at an investment conference, hoping to rope him into the foundation too. As you might imagine, the jet was paid for by a wire transfer that never appeared. And even though Anna got to brag about mingling with Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, the trip was a flop. No one offered to invest in her foundation.
Starting point is 00:27:10 Not long after Anna returned to New York, she took off again, this time to Morocco. It was supposed to be this relaxing week at a five-star hotel, spent sipping champagne by the pool and getting pampered at the spa. As her guests, she invited her friend Rachel Williams, her personal trainer Casey, and a videographer named Jesse who was supposed to turn the vacation into a documentary for the foundation. For Rachel, this should have been a trip of a lifetime.
Starting point is 00:27:45 Instead, it turned into the worst week of her life. I'm Javier Leyva, the host of pretend the podcast where I interview real con artists and uncover why they do what they do Like the family who claimed that they were being stalked only to find out that the messages were coming from their own house Yeah, they were the stalkers It's ridiculous when I I get death threats about him wanting to go and blow my husband's head off and then I get accused of having a split personality and maybe you're doing it and you don't realize it. That's ridiculous." Or the true crime author accused of harassing the very same victims that she was writing about. I am being honest with you. I am not. Fetish Master, I don't know what to say, but I am being completely honest with you. I don't know what to say, but I am being completely honest with you.
Starting point is 00:28:45 I don't know what's going on. These are real people with real stories. If you love podcasts with a good twist, subscribe to Pretend, wherever you're listening to right now. Pretend, stories about real people pretending to be someone else. On Saturday, May 13, 2017, 26-year-old Anna Sorokin stepped off a plane in Marrakesh, Morocco, flanked by her friends Rachel, Casey, and Jesse. Outside the airport, two Land Rovers were waiting to ferry the group to their destination, La Mamounia, a luxury spa hotel where the prices start at $600 per night. But Anna didn't fly all the way to Morocco to slum it in a single room. They stayed in a private
Starting point is 00:29:37 three-bedroom villa with its own pool and butler on call. They spent the next day enjoying all of the amenities, drinking wine, relaxing in the steam room, and dining at one of the hotel's four restaurants. It was like a dream. But on day three, things started to go wrong. Anna took the group shopping in the city. But when it was time to pay, her credit card was declined. Anna asked Rachel to put the purchase on her own credit card and promised to pay her back. Rachel said, sure. On day four, a hotel employee approached Anna.
Starting point is 00:30:21 There was a problem with the credit card she had given them too. Anna assured them that she would call her bank and have it taken care of. Each day they went on more excursions and Rachel put more money on her card. But she was having such a good time that she didn't think much of it. On day six, things got worse.
Starting point is 00:30:44 Shortly after Rachel woke up, there was a knock at the door. Two men from hotel management pushed their way inside, demanding to speak with Anna. They needed a valid card to hold on file, even temporarily. Anna babbled about how her bankers would take care of it, but until then, she couldn't do anything. The manager turned to Rachel and asked if she had a credit card. She tasted bile in her throat as she answered, yes. At that moment, Rachel was too overwhelmed to think straight, so she just handed over
Starting point is 00:31:26 her card. And later, when the hotel demanded a second form of payment, she gave them the corporate Amex card she used for work. When she saw the charge for $30,000 billed to her employer. She knew she was in hot water. Anna had promised to pay for the hotel before she left, at which point the money would be refunded to Rachel's cards. Anna just needed to sort a few things out with her bank, but Rachel believed she was good for it.
Starting point is 00:32:02 After all, Anna was supposed to be rich. So when Rachel left Anna in Morocco, she assumed the money would be in her account by the time she got home. She even texted Anna to let her know her corporate card was maxed out, hoping she'd know how urgent it was. Thankfully, Anna replied that the wire transfer was already in motion. Except the money never came. Rachel's texts became increasingly desperate. But Anna always had an excuse. She was in a meeting, she was in a car, the bank had made an error, but it was being sorted
Starting point is 00:32:42 out. Anna owed Rachel over $60,000 and she acted like it was no big deal. At one point, she emailed Rachel and cc'd her family accountant Bettina Wagner, who confirmed the money was incoming. But by now, you've probably already guessed that Bettina wasn't a real person. Truth was, Rachel was in trouble. She couldn't pay her rent, yet she clung to the hope that Anna was who she said she was. She didn't call a lawyer until July 17, 2017, two months after she'd left Morocco. Instead of compassion, the attorney just laughed at her. Then she went to the police, who told her that since the incident happened in Morocco,
Starting point is 00:33:36 they couldn't help her. So Rachel gathered a couple of friends who also knew Anna and orchestrated a sting. They met Anna at an outdoor bar in West Chelsea. With Rachel's cell phone secretly recording from her pocket, they confronted her about the theft. But Anna held to the story that she couldn't pay because all of her money was still in a trust. Anna alternated between tears and defiance. She whined that she was being punished for no reason. The New York Post had just published an article identifying her as a wannabe socialite who'd scammed hotels out of $12,000. But the reporters didn't understand.
Starting point is 00:34:23 She was building something, a foundation. Rachel snapped at that. She asked about the lease for the church missions house, the one she'd supposedly secured years ago. Except she hadn't. There was no paperwork. Anna had only pretended to broker a deal with the owner of the building.
Starting point is 00:34:46 Reality was, the owner had just leased it to a Swedish photography agency instead. Rachel had seen the announcement in the papers a few days earlier, but it was a shock to Anna when she confronted her about it. Struggling to recover, Anna sputtered that it was all fake news. After two hours, the meeting ended. Anna hadn't confessed to anything illegal, but Rachel was more certain than ever that she had been conned. And she had all of Anna's clumsy lies on tape. A few days later, Rachel sent a letter to the Manhattan District Attorney's office asking for a meeting. Soon after, she received a call.
Starting point is 00:35:36 Anna Sorokin, aka Anna Delvey, was the subject of a criminal investigation. And they were eager to speak with her. criminal investigation, and they were eager to speak with her. Rachel compiled all of her evidence and handed it over to prosecutors. After months of Anna's gaslighting, it felt good to be believed. Though she warned the lead investigator that Anna would skip her court date, and sure enough, Anna disappeared. So the DA's office encouraged Rachel to rekindle her friendship with Anna over text. Try to smooth things out so Anna would reveal her location.
Starting point is 00:36:16 After a few awkward text messages, Rachel discovered that Anna was in a rehab facility for alcohol addiction in Malibu, California. Rachel wasn't sure if Anna actually had a drinking problem or if she was just hiding from authorities, but she was definitely in that rehab facility, and Rachel was able to lure Anna outside with the promise of a lunch meeting. When Anna stepped through the doors, the cops were waiting. She was charged with grand larceny among other theft-related crimes. Anna embraced the legal proceedings
Starting point is 00:36:59 with her usual cold defiance. She rejected a plea deal, opting to go to trial instead. In May of 2018, while Anna waited for her day in court, a journalist named Jessica Pressler published an article in New York Magazine detailing Anna's exploits. The con artist became an overnight celebrity. In March of 2019, the trial began. Anna made sure it was every bit the spectacle she deserved. She wore eye-catching outfits from designers like Saint Laurent and Michael Kors, and even
Starting point is 00:37:38 hired a stylist to shape her look. The peacocking gained her tons of followers online, but it didn't do much to sway the jury. In April of 2019, she was convicted on multiple counts of larceny and theft. The judge sentenced her to between 4 and 12 years in prison and ordered her to pay $224,000 in fines and restitution. In February of 2021, Anna was released early on parole for good behavior, only to be arrested a month later by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Anna had come to the US on a travel visa, which she'd clearly overstayed. But Anna refused to be deported back to Germany. Instead, she was given house arrest pending
Starting point is 00:38:34 her appeal. As of this recording, she's still in New York, waiting for her case to reach the top of the pile. Ever the hustler, Anna has found a way to monetize her newfound stardom. Netflix reportedly paid her $320,000 for the rights to her story. The cash allowed her to pay off what she owed with plenty left over to live on. Anna has also sold NFT artworks that allow buyers to meet her in person and over the phone. And she has plans for much, much more, including a book, her own documentary, and a dinner club with celebrities. Whether that actually materializes is anyone's guess,
Starting point is 00:39:20 but whatever she does, chances are, you'll be hearing about Anna's next reinvention. Thank you so much for listening. I'm your host, Nicole Lapin. Money Crimes is a Crime House original. Join me every Thursday for a brand new episode. Here at Crime House, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you heard here today, reach out on social media, at Crime House.
Starting point is 00:39:53 Don't forget to re-review and follow Money Crimes wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly makes a difference. And for ad-free listening, plus early access and bonus content, subscribe to CrimeHouse Plus on Apple Podcasts. Money Crimes is hosted by me, Nicole Lapman, and is a CrimeHouse original powered by Pave Studios. This episode was brought to life by the Money Crimes team, Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benadon, Lori Maranelli, Natalie Persovsky, Sarah Camp, Xander Bernstein, and Michael
Starting point is 00:40:24 Langsner. Thank you so much for listening.

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