What is true (and false) in Inventing Anna?

*** Warning: this article contains spoilers ***

There is something extremely captivating about true scam stories. Inventing Anna is the latest real-life story brought to the scene by Netflix that makes us passionate about how a young woman in her twenties managed to scam the New York elite and American banks for $ 275,000 with the intent of taking on loan for her member club $ 22 million, all suggesting she is a wealthy German heiress with a $ 60 million trust fund to her name.

Seems a little surreal, right? Well, some of us learned of this story when a reporter from the New York Magazine Jessica Pressler did a great service on the true story of Anna Delvey. While some of us have heard of her through Vanity Fair America editor Rachel Williams’ best-selling book, and former friend of Anna, titled: My Friend Anna: The true story of the fake heiress of New York City.

On the Netflix show, however, we discover the story through the lens of Jessica Pressler, a journalist struggling to regain her reputation after fake news allegations, all while trying to finish the story before her son is born. If you’ve already seen the entire series, you may be thinking: it can’t possibly have happened. There is no way she could have taken a trip on an unpaid private jet without a permit, stayed in lavish hotels without paying, falsified statements to secure multimillion-dollar loans, or even fooled her friends into buying first-class flights when his checks were refused.

Inventing Anna is a staging of the true story of Anna Delvey, born Anna Sorokin. So we don’t blame you if you now search the internet for how much truth there is in Netflix Series’ Anna Delvey and how much false it is. At the beginning of each episode, moreover, a note warns: «This story is completely true. Except for all the parts that are not ».

So here are 12 things you are probably wondering if they are true or false.

Did Anna really “borrow” a private jet to attend a conference?

Yes. Anna actually took a private jet to fly to Warren Buffett’s conference / soirée in Omaha, Nebraska, without paying the $ 35,390 upfront, forging a bank transfer confirmation receipt.

Did she really stay longer than she should on an acquaintance’s yacht?

Unfortunately, we don’t have much evidence that this part of the story is true. There is no trace of her lingering on a friend of a friend’s yacht for days after everyone else has left, and that may be part of what the writers have staged for the series. When asked about this in an interview with Insider, Sorokin said the storyline of her staying too long on a yacht “doesn’t tell me anything.”

Did Anna really use a voice distortion app to play the Delvey family estate manager, Peter W. Hennecke?

Pressler said that Peter W. Hennecke “appears to be a fictional character.” In the series we are able to see how Sorokin disguised his voice in telephone conversations with banks, using a voice distortion app, which made him sound like an older German man. The girl has thought of everything!

Did Anna really scam her friend from Vanity Fair for $ 62,000 using her corporate card?

This is very true. So much so that Rachel Williams wrote all of this in her first book and tell-all about her: My friend Anna. The two took an extravagant trip to Marrakesh, inspired by the Kardashians, staying at one of the most expensive resorts in the world, which left one of Sorokin’s friends, Rachel Williams, with a $ 62,000 debt, a portion of which was credited. directly to your Conde Nast corporate card.

Did she really ask her friend to pay for her flight back to Marrakech, but only in first class?

He did it! After that chaotic trip to Marrakesh, which left her friend with an account of 62,000, Anna felt stuck and didn’t know who would fund her trip home. So, she actually called a tearful friend to help secure that plane ticket, first class. One thing Sorokin never intended to do: get out of character. Anna Delvey would clearly “NEVER” fly economy class.

Was Vivian Kent’s “journalist Jessica Pressler” character really pregnant?

Much of the series’ plot follows Vivian Kent, who works on the magazine Manhattan and which is inspired by real New York Magazine journalist Jessica Pressler, as she works towards two huge deadlines, telling the story of Anna Delvey and giving birth to her baby. Pressler revealed that she was actually pregnant while working on Sorokin’s story, via the Recode Media Podcast in June 2018. While we can’t confirm her baby’s birth date, social media has suggested she gave birth weeks, possibly months. after, the delivery of your article.

Did Anna really overdose in Los Angeles?

We’re not sure if this actually happened, although the show suggests she faked it, as we see her taking too many pills and washing them, as she Instagram accounts the whole thing and orders room service, leaving the door open, waiting. to be found. All of this suggests that she was bluffing, to go into rehab, and thus have more time in America, as her visa was about to expire. All calculated, but Pressler’s article doesn’t say much about this attempt, all we know is that she was arrested in Los Angeles outside a rehab clinic.

Was Anna Delvey’s Instagram page real?

In the series we see Anna requesting expensive stylist Anatastia Walker, who had celebrities such as T-Pain and Courtney Love among her clients, to dress her up for every single court appearance. She at one point she even withdrew from court because she didn’t have the right dress. Her friend Neff her makes it easy and then creates an Instagram account with all of her looks. This Instagram account actually exists and dates back to March 2019, although we cannot confirm who created it.

Did infamous Fyre festival founder Billy McFarland really know Anna Delvey?

In the 4th episode we see Anna staying in a party pad, which doubles as Magnises owned by Billy McFarland (who you may know from the Fyre Festival) who defrauded a myriad of investors for around $ 26 million. The irony of the two now famous scammers who are in a relationship before their worlds collapse, it happened! Sorokin actually turned what was supposed to be a few days’ stay (as a favor) into four months! Sources say he suggested she leave, but the company eventually moved to another location. We cannot confirm whether the move was intentional.

Did you really know Martin Skreli and did he really play Lil Wayne’s unreleased album at one of their parties?

And yes, he really knew Martin Shkreli. There seems to have been a strong scene on the upper east side of New York City’s elite circles and he actually played Lil Wayne Tha Carter V’s unreleased album, which he famously bought the masters of. Pressler contacted Shkreli and he confirmed this in a letter he sent from prison. Rachel Williams also wrote in her book that Sorokin often defended her controversial move on lifesaving drug prices. The scammers really have each other’s backs.

Did your friend really set up a trap to get her arrested?

Rachel Williams is left with a $ 62,000 bill to pay since that infamous trip to Marrakesh. After many attempts to try and get Anna’s money back, either by calling her, showing up at her hotels, or contacting the police several times, she has no choice but to work with law enforcement as an informant to help them set up. a trap to catch Anna outside the Los Angeles rehab clinic. This is all true.

Was she really that rude in real life?

Relationships and former friends say yes. In Pressler’s original article, Sorokin often peeled off $ 100 bills one after another, to try to divert the hotel’s concierge’s attention from other guests so that he didn’t have to queue for assistance. Clearly, he was living well the life he intended to lead. Her insolence is said to have captivated many of her around her and was almost a mark for someone rich enough to be so out of touch with reality. So Anna Delvey’s character played by Anna Sorokin herself was rude and cheeky, and the people around her clearly couldn’t get enough of it.