My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress
Rachel DeLoache Williams
A book-length account for readers who want more detail.
Unforgotten Casebook — One case. Every angle. One place.2013–2019 · Manhattan, New York
Anna Delvey and the New York fraud case behind Inventing Anna
Using the name Anna Delvey, Anna Sorokin presented herself as a wealthy heiress while pursuing a private arts club in New York. A Manhattan jury convicted her in 2019 of eight offenses, including grand larceny and theft of services, and acquitted her on two counts. Reporting, a former friend’s memoir, and the scripted series Inventing Anna offer different perspectives on the case.
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Choose a book, screen story or audio episode from this case’s collection.
Rachel DeLoache Williams
A book-length account for readers who want more detail.
Netflix · 2022 · scripted limited series
A dramatized interpretation; compare it with the reporting.
Inventing Anna: The Official Podcast · Shondaland Audio
An audio option for exploring this case while listening.
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Alias used by Anna Sorokin
The name used in New York society and in the title and publicity for Inventing Anna. This is an alias, not a separate person.
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Read our articles here and explore outside perspectives, credited to their writers and publications. See this case in the Journal →
Unforgotten Casebook editors
A short guide to choosing between the case’s different accounts.
Start with the 2019 Associated Press report linked in News & Reading. It records a mixed verdict: eight convictions and two acquittals. An allegation discussed in a memoir or television episode is not automatically something the jury found proved.
My Friend Anna is Rachel DeLoache Williams’s account of her experiences. Read it as a named participant’s perspective. The Netflix series instead draws on Jessica Pressler’s magazine reporting and uses fictionalized storytelling. In particular, Vivian Kent is a dramatic character inspired by Pressler, not a literal representation of the reporter.
Choose Inventing Anna for scripted storytelling, the reporting for the case background, and the memoir for Williams’s perspective. The official companion podcast explores adaptation choices. None of these listings promises that every scene or recollection is independently established.
Open full article →Outside essays and reading guides reflect their authors’ perspectives. Compare claims with reported and primary sources.
Netflix Tudum
The series’ own companion article discusses its fictionalized journalist and the relationship between reporting and dramatic invention. This is production commentary from Netflix, not independent verification of the criminal case.
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CONTINUE YOUR READING
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Rachel DeLoache Williams
A former friend’s memoir about her relationship with Sorokin and its aftermath. This is Williams’s personal account, not the source text of the Netflix series or a court finding. The publisher lists available book formats; compare this perspective with the trial reporting.
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Paperback · Check current price and availability on Amazon.
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Episodes, documentaries and title listings. Season and episode numbers follow the linked catalog and can differ by service. Air dates are separate from crime dates. Playback availability varies by service and region.
Netflix · 2022 · scripted limited series
Shonda Rhimes’s dramatization stars Julia Garner as Anna Delvey. It draws on Jessica Pressler’s reporting but fictionalizes parts of the story, including the reporter Vivian Kent. Watch it as an adaptation, then compare it with the linked reporting. Netflix subscription and regional availability apply.
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ABC · 2021 catalog, Episode 27 · Listed air date 2021-10-01
Includes coverage of Anna Sorokin.
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Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
Episode data: TVmaze · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Listen to a book connected to this story. Each edition below is matched to its author and audiobook source.
Audiobook
Narrated by Rachel DeLoache Williams
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Edition checked 2026-10-12
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Scripted stories and fictional inspirations. Scenes, characters, and dialogue can differ from the record.
Netflix · 2022 · scripted limited series
Shonda Rhimes’s dramatization stars Julia Garner as Anna Delvey. It draws on Jessica Pressler’s reporting but fictionalizes parts of the story, including the reporter Vivian Kent. Watch it as an adaptation, then compare it with the linked reporting. Netflix subscription and regional availability apply.
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Audio episodes and oral histories. Personal recollections are attributed perspectives; some services require sign-in.
Inventing Anna: The Official Podcast · Shondaland Audio
A direct episode link to a discussion of adapting the Anna Delvey story for television. This is a companion to the scripted production, not a separate investigative documentary.
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BRING YOUR PERSPECTIVE
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Talk about sources and storytelling with care for the people affected. A documentary, a book and a court record serve different purposes.
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New York Magazine / The Cut · 2018
The magazine investigation that inspired Inventing Anna. Publisher access rules apply.
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Jim Mustian / Associated Press via KSL · April 25, 2019
Contemporaneous reporting describes eight guilty verdicts and two acquittals. It distinguishes the criminal findings from the wider allegations, including the acquitted charge involving Rachel DeLoache Williams. Read this dated account alongside personal memoirs and screen portrayals.
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Documents are labeled by type and scope. Allegations in filings are not findings of guilt. This collection is not the complete case file.
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