Anna Delvey may have been well-known in some New York City inner circles for the past decade, but she gained national and international notoriety this year after her story was told on the Netflix series Inventing Anna. Delvey (real name Anna Sorokin, a.k.a. the fake German heiress) served four years in prison after being found guilty of larceny and other crimes. But even as she’s stuck in an ICE detention center fighting deportation, she’s working on her next project, saying she hopes to move away from the “scammer” persona she’s gained.
The subject of Shonda Rhimes’ Netflix series has launched a collection of NFTs she’s calling “Reinventing Anna,” the name obviously inspired by the show that starred Julia Garner as the fake socialite who lied about having a $60 million trust fund in order to bilk banks and her friends out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. NBC News reports that the Anna Access Card is available to purchase with cryptocurrency and unlocks opportunities including exclusive live-streams or one-on-one phone calls with Anna Delvey. She said she's hoping to overcome the reputation she gained in her 20s and through Inventing Anna:
Hopefully I’ll be given a chance to, like, focus all my energy into something legal. I’d love to be given an opportunity for people not to just dismiss me as a quote unquote scammer and just see what I’m going to do next.
The Netflix show may have played a part in sticking her with a reputation for not paying back what she owes to people and institutions (along with, you know, the guilty verdicts), but there’s no doubt that it also boosted her fame and created a fan base for her. Anna Delvey says she receives hundreds of letters a day at the ICE facility, where she's been held since 2021 for overstaying her visa, and even some marriage proposals. Her NFT venture provides a way for her to connect with the people who connected with her story, she said:
I just received so much support. People, like, really going great lengths to get in touch with me. But when people, like, write you a letter when you’re in jail, it takes a lot of time out of your day. It’s like just staying connected with people who feel inspired by my story.
It’s pretty on-brand for Anna Delvey to have found a way to keep her hustle going while she awaits progress on her visa issue. She’s also been selling art that she’s created in prison and in the detention facility. Delvey continues to fight deportation, and her lawyers are reportedly working on her visa issue through the summer. Perhaps if she is able to stay in the country, she’ll be able to land a gig on Real Housewives of New York?
Inventing Anna was created by Shonda Rhimes and was inspired by a New York Magazine article, “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People,” written by Jessica Pressler and published in 2018. In Inventing Anna, Anna Chlumsky plays Vivian Kent, a journalist based on Pressler.
Inventing Anna is available for streaming now with a Netflix subscription. If you liked Julia Garner’s portrayal of Anna Delvey (that accent!), check out some more movies and shows featuring Julia Garner. You can also check out some of the best shows on Netflix right now, and be sure to see what shows are premiering soon with our 2022 TV schedule.
