Publications
Convicted con artist Anna Sorokin has been out of federal prison for three months and she's already plotting her next move: a reality television show.
The 32-year-old has been under house arrest since her release in October and has been hard at work planning her latest creative pursuit.
Anna, the subject of the hit Netflix documentary Inventing Anna, is set to be the star of her own show, which is tentatively titled Delvey’s Dinner Club. Delvey is the pseudonym she used when she scammed people out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The reality show will see the Russian-born swindler hosting dinner parties in her Manhattan apartment, allowing people to see "the real Anna".
In each episode actors, musicians, socialites, journalists and other esteemed guests will gather around Anna’s dinner table.
No topic will be off limits as they enjoy a meal cooked by a private chef.
In a bid to rehabilitate her image, Anna intends to share details about her criminal past, her reputation as a con artist and her isolation during house arrest.
From 2013 Anna posed as a German heiress, conning banks, hotels and acquaintances out of more than $200 000.
She was arrested in 2017 and found guilty of eight counts of fraud and sentenced to four to 12 years in prison.
Anna was released on parole in February 2021 but six weeks later an immigration judge ordered her back to jail for overstaying her visa. She is now under house arrest as she fights to avoid deportation.
Meanwhile she is keeping herself busy by planning her new show.
“There’s nothing like the experience of bringing together a curated group of friends to share life stories and enjoy a great culinary experience,” Anna says.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with Wheelhouse [media company] and [production house] Butternut to bring my vision to a wider audience and share a glimpse of the real Anna Delvey.”
Courtney White, the CEO of Butternut, echoes Anna’s sentiments.
“The best way to get to know someone is to share a meal with them. We’re all desperate to know who Anna really is,” Courtney says.
“Delvey’s Dinner Club will reveal the actual woman behind everything we’ve read and watched about Anna. She is breaking her story in her own words and we believe she will defy viewers' expectations.”
Some of Anna’s dream dinner guests include Madonna and Elon Musk.
While still incarcerated, Anna received $320 000 from Netflix in return for her giving the green light for the streaming giant to go ahead with the show, which was produced by Shonda Rhimes.
Anna’s lawyer, Duncan Levin, says Inventing Anna "perpetuates the notion that Anna is a scam artist".
“Everybody has this conception of her as this character, as an actress, and obviously there’s some truth in these types of series,” Duncan says.
“She is really a lot more than the worst thing that she’s alleged to have ever done. She’s a great client. She’s actually very pleasant and very funny. People think that they know her because they’re thinking about the character from the series."
The producers of Delvey’s Dinner Club are currently shopping around for a network interested in buying the show.
SOURCES: THE GUARDIAN.COM, PAGESIX.COM, VARIETY.COM
