Anna “Delvey” Sorokin is a con artist.

Anna “Delvey” Sorokin first showed up on the scene in New York City, claiming to be a rich German heiress.

From December of 2013 till August 2017, Sorokin lived a lavish life; living out of extravagant hotels, traveling on private planes, and going on expensive trips.

All of this was funded by scamming people and corporations out of thousands of dollars.

Sorokin often took out loans by using fake documents to make it appear like she had millions of dollars across seas. She used bad checks and claimed to have wired money for payments. Delvey also took thousands from her friend.

Now, Delvey is appearing on the newest season of Dancing with the Stars and hosts her own podcast: The Anna Delvey show. Sorokin does not deserve this. Anna is not an icon, she is a greedy criminal.

Anna Delvey didn’t just steal from just major corporations she also stole from her friends.

During Delvey’s time in the light she invited her close friend, Rachel DeLoache Williams on a ‘all expenses paid’ trip to Morocco. At the end of the trip, Delvey left Williams with the $62,000 bill. Williams claims she never was reimbursed, though Delvey claims to have returned the money. 

While some people can excuse the robbery of major corporations, it’s hard to excuse essentially stealing thousands from your friends. Delvey lied to Williams and forced her to pay thousands for a trip that Williams was told would be free. Anna Delvey is simply greedy. She conned, lied, and scammed many people, just for money.

She lived an extravagant life filled with expensive clothes, private jets and luxury hotels. Being famous and successful mattered more to her than her friends’ economic well being.

All of Delvey’s actions are greedy. It is a very selfish act to steal thousands of dollars from corporations and friends. She continues to seek money and fame as a convicted criminal. We should not be supporting this behavior. She is a greedy con artist and should not be receiving fame for this.

During her time in the spotlight, Anna Delvey, lived quite a lavish life. Though Delvey is very smart. She has to be able to create this intricate lie but she has no moral compass. She took advantage of her friends and stole their money. Many women have come from nothing, are extremely successful and got there in honest ways.

Take Oprah Winfrey for example; born poor to her teenage mother and father who was soldier, which led her grandmother to raising her. Later in life, she and her mother lived in a small apartment while her mother worked as a maid. Through this all Oprah was also abused. She worked extremely hard. She is extraordinarily successful and for a good reason. While Delvey scrammed and deceived the world. On top of this, Oprah is an African American woman compared to Delvey being caucasian and having more privilege than Oprah.

This brings me to the next point. Would this same situation have a similar outcome if the con artist was a minority or not conventionally attractive? If Anna Delvey was a minority, would she have this same success after her crimes? If she wasn’t a pretty blonde white woman, would she have the same chances she is currently given?

I believe Delvey is viewed as this icon and not a criminal just because she’s white and conventionally attractive. She now is a celebrity and being given amazing opportunities. And I wonder if she would still get these if she wasn’t conventionally attractive. Is she an icon or is she just a pretty white woman?

Giving Anna Delvey fame and opportunities sets a horrible example. So many people have worked for their success. Delvey just scammed, deceived, and committed multiple felonies. She cheated to get to the top, but yet we still reward her for this. Giving her fame and a spotlight. If we make an exception for Delvey and give her these opportunities, others will follow her example. If you saw someone who committed felonies get famous, wouldn’t you want to do the same?

Delvey getting more money and fame from this encourages her behavior and sets an example. If you rob your friends and corporations you will be famous and get Netflix shows about you. Everyone wants fame and money, especially if it’s that easy to get it.

We need to stop giving light to individuals like Delvey and start shedding light on people who worked to get where they are like Oprah Winfrey. Anna Delvey sets a horrible example for everyone.

Why are we looking up to this criminal? Why not others? To clear up one thing, Anna Delvey is a convicted criminal. She was charged of eight charged of attempted theft, attempted larceny, theft and larceny. She stole $275,000. She had a bond set at $10,000 and wore an ankle monitor to track her movements.

She is guilty. That is a fact. Larceny and theft is defined as a felony. Why would admire someone for being arrested for smoking methamphetamines? Would we put them on competition shows? Would we listen to their podcast? Would we call a felon convicted of assault an icon? These are so extremely absurd, so why are we giving this attention to this felon but not others? We would not call other felons icons, so why are we calling this felon an icon?

Anna Delvey has no moral compass, is greedy, lies, scams and cons. She doesn’t deserve to be in the spotlight. She shouldn’t be put on popular TV shows or given the opportunity to create something thousands listen to. Anna ‘Delvey’ Sorokin is a con artist.

Anna Delvey is an icon. Anna Delvey arrived in New York leaving a lasting impression. She waved around $100 bills effortlessly and carried a snobby princess attitude. The only vision she had was luxury; from hotels, dining, and parties, to expensive clothing. However, wealth was all an illusion. The “wealthy” young woman lied her way to the top.

Anna Delvey or Anna Sorkin certainly did invent herself. She grew up in Domodedovo, Russia. Sorkin, her true last name belongs to her middle-class family. Although she came from a simple background she knew who she was. Once given the chance to disregard her past and unlock her full potential, not a moment was spared to take it. 

So how does one go from zero to 100? Well, she posed as a German heiress. Call her indolent or a cheat but I say work smarter, not harder. Sure there are examples of those who didn’t scam countless people and ultimately weren’t con artists that achieved success. Regardless of how people become successful, it cannot be denied that Anna Delvey knew how to play the game. It took intelligence and ambition. Anna Delvey manipulated the world at her fingertips. From 2013-2017 her life flourished in riches. If that doesn’t scream icon then I don’t know what does. 

It was her outer appearance that boosted her privileges; a white, conventionally attractive woman who gets anything she wants. But what I see is a young woman who took all her advantages to enhance the life she wanted. She had an inch then took a mile. This is simply utilizing resources the correct way. Anna Delvey isn’t just an icon because of her looks, but rather her mindset.  

Anna Delvey dressed in expensive clothing and exuded entitlement. Confidently, she attended all the right events. This was her networking strategy. I think she is socially intelligent because she altered everyone’s perception that she was rich until it manifested.   

I admire her not because of her outer appearance, but because of the way she presented herself. Anna achieved so much with the mere facade that she was important. It fooled everyone. Her story is inspiring because it shows that we can create our own reality. We don’t have to accept a life we don’t deserve. Anna Delvey was driven by goals. What sets her apart from the average person is that she moves forward. 

The Anna Delvey Foundation, ADF, was Anna’s dream. Of course, knowing Anna, this dream was soon to be accomplished. Her facade was that she was someone who demanded respect and was an experienced businesswoman with a trust fund. 

There are allegations that Anna Delvey is a bad friend, but let’s take into consideration the other viewpoint. At this time, everything unraveled and Anna was struggling to pay anyone back.  It was a slip-up in Anna’s life but everything else was also going south. From observing the situation I think Anna deserves more leniency on her friendship qualities. Not to mention, Anna from the start of her friendships, treated her friends in abundance. She was their easy door to luxury and to be her friend was a privilege. It can easily be argued that Anna’s friends were just as greedy. 

Post-prison, Anna Delvey commented on addressing her faults, “You should at least get your facts straight. I served my time and paid everyone back in full 3+ years ago. Looking forward to your on-air correction,’” she said. 

I cannot deny she is a criminal but I am drawn to her because of her ambition and fearlessness. She was capable of scamming the elites and that statement holds power. For me, she is a symbol of motivation and a fierce energy that’ll never back down.  

Even after she was sentenced to prison she still gets what she wants. Only two years served in Rickers and Anna Delvey was released. Nothing can stop her from reaching her goals. To date, she is a singer, artist, podcaster, and a Dancing with the Stars contestant. It was expected that once prison happened she remained at her lowest but this was mistaken.   

I am not saying that Anna Delvey’s actions are all justifiable, what I am trying to get across is what can be digested from the story. Based on the events in Anna Delvey’s life, the wealthy young woman who lied her way to the top. Proving that someone starting from nowhere can achieve anything. All it takes is the right attitude or the right facade.