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In this episode of American Greed, Anna
Delvey is everywhere a downtown

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Manhattan socialite wants to be.

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Money, connections, she had it all. You
wanted to be her.

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With VIP access to everything cool in
New York art and fashion.

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You wanted to be seen with her. She knew
exactly how to use social media to

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bolster that image.

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She had over 40 ,000 Instagram
followers.

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A social connector who easily draws in
friends.

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Here is this person I liked who seems
really excited to spend time with me. I

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was flattered by her attention.

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But the public face of Anna Delvey hides
a litany of secrets.

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She looked out of place like she didn't
belong there.

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She says she's a German heiress.

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But her friends start asking questions.

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You have to. Family? Like living family?

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Do you even have family?

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This person I'd spent so much time with
wasn't at all what I believed her to be.

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Who Anna Delvey really is, is a young
woman accused of trying to swindle more

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than $25 million from Manhattan
financiers and who would sell out her

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friends to get what she wants.

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I'd be up late at night having panic
attacks, you know, just like pleading

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her, trying to find something that would
explain it or fix it.

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One of the oldest types of cons is the
imposter. Cheers.

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Especially someone with a lot of power,
someone with a lot of influence, and

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Anna Delvey was that someone.

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Downtown New York City, epicenter of a
young, chic, creative world,

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where in 2016, 28 -year -old Vanity Fair
photo editor Rachel

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Williams' life intersects with that of
Anna Delvey, a new face on the scene.

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I met Anna out in New York one evening.
I had gone out for some drinks with some

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girls I knew, and Anna joined us at this
lounge on the Lower East Side.

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And I had seen Anna in photos on
Instagram and saw that she had over 40

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Instagram followers.

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She had a lot of artsy photos of travel
and art and shopping,

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pictures with people in the fashion
world.

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Rachel and Anna hit it off and begin a
friendship, although their lives

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be more different.

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Anna has an unusual and somewhat
fabulous address.

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She lives at the Eleven Howard, an
exclusive and sceny Soho hotel, popular

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with fashion and art professionals, with
rooms starting at more than $500 a

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night. So a lot of Anna's lifestyle was
very different than mine in all sorts of

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different ways. For instance, her living
in a hotel full time.

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I didn't know anybody else like that.

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For Rachel Williams, the timing is right
for a new friendship.

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I had just gotten out of a long -term
relationship, and here is this person I

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like who's living walking distance from
my apartment who seems really excited to

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spend time with me.

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We would often eat dinner or have drinks
in her hotel, and she would always sign

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the bill to her room.

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The seemingly endless flow of champagne
is more than Rachel can afford.

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But Anna doesn't seem to mind.

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She asked me at some point how much I
made, so she knew what my financial

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situation was, but she really liked
these expensive experiences.

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Anna was like, it's more fun to have
someone there with me, so I was happy to

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with her.

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When she is not treating friends to
luxury experiences and being seen at all

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most exclusive downtown restaurants,
clubs, and events, Anna Delvey is

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on her pet project.

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An audacious concept she calls the Anna
Delvey Foundation.

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She wanted to create this giant art
gallery space, a members -only club,

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restaurants, bars, lounges. And she had
been meeting with lawyers and bankers

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trying to finalize the lease.

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Her foundation claims to have a board of
directors with a who's who of top -tier

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artists, collectors, real estate moguls,
and restaurateurs.

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Anna hires a London -based design firm
to bring her vision to life in the form

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of an 83 -page PDF laying out her plans.

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I mean, it ranged from exhibitions by
top artists like Cindy Sherman and

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Arsham and Earth Fisher, who again are,
you know, top, top blue chip

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contemporary, to multiple restaurants,
artist residencies, a German bakery, a

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very exclusive club.

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According to Artnet reporter Eileen
Kinsella, in the New York art world, it

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not out of the ordinary that a 20
-something with a trust fund and a

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for modern art could be taken seriously.

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I would have thought this is a very
wealthy person with extremely high

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and essentially the power to make it
happen because I do feel a lot in the

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world that things will come on our radar
where it's a younger collector who

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clearly has access to a lot of funds and
is able to easily immerse themselves in

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the art world and figure out who the
best artists are and establish

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sort of on the scene. And that's clearly
what she did.

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The Anna Delvey Foundation centers on
leasing a historic building at 281 Park

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Avenue South.

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It has this gothic architecture. It's
very stunning.

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And she claimed that she was negotiating
a lease, part of which involved going

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to City National. That was one of the
banks that she approached and saying

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she needed a $30 million loan in order
to make this happen.

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And that claim linked to another claim
that she made, which was that she was a

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German heiress and that when she turned
25, she was going to be entitled to a 60

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million euro inheritance.

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I admired that she was so motivated to
do something with that wealth.

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And I admired her ambition and her
focus.

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Anna spends much of her time networking
with influential people, including the

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CEO of Blade, a private jet rental
company.

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When Anna says she needs to fly to
Omaha, Nebraska to attend the Berkshire

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Hathaway annual shareholders meeting,
she books a private jet through Blade

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doesn't blink at the $35 ,000 price tag
for a round -trip flight to attend to

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what she says is family business.

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It seems to be just another day in the
fabulous life of the German heiress.

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A week after her return from Omaha, Anna
tells Rachel Williams that her visa is

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expiring and she needs to leave the
country to reset it.

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Rather than return home to Germany, Anna
decides she wants a more extraordinary

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trip to Marrakesh, Morocco.

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As socialites are wont to do, she
decides she needs her every move

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She had this idea that she wanted to
create a documentary about the creation

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her art foundation.

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And to do that, she wanted to first see
what it was like to have someone around

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with a video camera.

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So she framed the trip to Morocco as
though it were going to be this business

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expense, and she was going to create
some sort of footage from it.

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When Anna's preferred videographer backs
out, Rachel introduces Anna to her

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friend, Jesse Hawk.

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Right away, I got the sense that she was
very self -important.

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And she kind of demanded a certain
amount of attention by the way she

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herself.

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She was really good at projecting the
way she wanted to be perceived, that her

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ideas were unique or noteworthy.

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One week later, she had reserved this
private villa at La Mamunia, which is

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extremely opulent five -star resort in
Marrakesh. And she booked it and then

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like, who else should we invite?

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So she decided to bring the personal
trainer who we'd been working out with,

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well as a videographer.

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As it's a business expense, Anna has
offered to cover the cost of the trip

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all of her invited guests.

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But the day before they are supposed to
leave, she hasn't booked the flights.

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So I'm texting back and forth with her,
you know, I found these flights that

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could work for everybody, like, how can
I help you?

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So I book four one -way flights using
her credit card, but it doesn't go

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through.

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So I tell Anna, like, you need to call
your bank. It's like $4 ,000, I think.

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you know, assume that it's been flagged
for fraud. Then it created this sort of

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false sense of urgency, I think, which,
you know, motivated me to say, oh,

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should I use my card and you pay me
back?

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And she said, yeah, only if that's okay
for you, I can wire you on Monday.

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Rachel Williams says she fronts the cost
for the flights to Morocco.

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So that's how it started.

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It started with the flights, four one
-way flights, about $4 ,000.

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Next on American Greed, Anna Delvey's
generosity seems as grandiose as her

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of luxury.

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She just can't seem to access her
accounts right now.

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I wish at that point I had realized this
person can't be trusted, but I still

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had the sense that she was who she said
she was.

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Anna Delby and her entourage arrive at
JFK Airport to fly out of New York City

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on first -class tickets to Marrakesh,
Morocco.

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Anna's friend, Rachel Williams, says she
buys the tickets believing that Anna

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will reimburse her.

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But the expenses don't stop there.

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Well, we go to check in.

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When there's an issue, Anna has
accidentally checked her wallet that she

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her credit cards in. So she has her
passport and nothing else.

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00:10:50,680 --> 00:10:54,720
But because she already owes me money,
she says, can we just add, you know, the

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checked baggage to what I already owe
you?

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So it was like one thing and then
another thing.

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00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:04,780
And then, of course, for the rest of the
time, I booked flights that had a six

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-hour layover in Lisbon. So I'm paying
for meals for everybody, starting in the

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airport before we even arrived to
Marrakesh.

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La Mamunia in Marrakesh is one of the
cheapest, priciest resorts in the world

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and a favorite with the fashion set.

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Anna reserved their most expensive room,
a three -bedroom, $7 ,500 -a -night

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Riyadh or villa for the week.

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The hotel has, like, four restaurants
and three bars and sprawling gardens and

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private pool.

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It was ridiculous.

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Anna spent money.

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Like there was an endless supply.

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We were drinking two, three, four
hundred dollars worth of wine or

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every day.

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Documenting Anna is like watching one of
your friends texting people on their

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phone all day or sleeping or eating or
drinking.

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I've got about 378 shots of Anna on her
phone, though.

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And so we kind of waited on her a lot,
or just whatever her whims were.

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We went into this place called the
Medina, which is this old ancient

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marketplace. It's a walled compound. You
walk through it. And Anna was really

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focused on trying to buy some caftans,
some Moroccan dresses.

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So we were shown to this dress store,
and Anna picked out $1 ,300 worth of...

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jumpsuit, dresses, all of these things,
goes to use her card, and of course it's

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again declined.

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Rachel Williams is covering the
incidentals, but there is a larger issue

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Mamunia. They hadn't been paid a cent,
and Anna just kept saying the same

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things. She was a broken record, you
know, like, I don't understand. I've

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you the routing number, or I've given
you the bank code. I don't know why

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bothering me about this.

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The situation comes to a head when hotel
security confronts Anna about her

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failure to pay for the villa.

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It was alarming to me. She seemed
disconnected, I think, from the urgency

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situation.

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But she told me she was waiting on calls
to be returned.

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00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:23,160
One of the managers looked at me and was
like, do you have a credit card?

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And I looked to Anna like, what?

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And she goes, can we just use it for
now? The men weren't.

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They weren't smiling. I was intimidated,
and I felt pressured from Anna as well.

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Rachel Williams hands over her credit
card and is told there will be a hold

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00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:46,000
placed on the card until Anna Delvey's
funds are accessible.

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The next day, Rachel leaves Marrakesh
for a work trip, only to find out that

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hold on her credit card at La Malmuña
isn't just a hold.

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With no other form of payment ever
presented, they run the entire cost of

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00:14:03,390 --> 00:14:08,150
stay, splitting the charges on her
personal and corporate American Express

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00:14:08,150 --> 00:14:11,370
for a total of $62 ,000.

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00:14:13,090 --> 00:14:17,610
She says, I'll wire you $70 ,000 on
Monday to make sure all your expenses

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covered.

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00:14:18,570 --> 00:14:22,510
When I left, I had sent Anna an email
saying, okay, the amount you owe me is

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00:14:22,510 --> 00:14:25,630
like, I think it was like $9 ,000 for
the flights and everything outside the

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hotel.

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00:14:26,830 --> 00:14:30,590
I didn't know it's possible for the
entire hotel to go on my credit card.

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Next on American Greed.

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Anna Delvey's failure to pay for her
lavish Moroccan vacation is only the

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00:14:40,110 --> 00:14:43,390
clue that her pedigree might not be
legit.

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I knew there was more to it. I didn't
know the extent, but I knew she was not

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being 100 % with me.

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Rachel Williams is a desperate woman.

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00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:13,460
Two months after unexpectedly footing
the bill for a nearly $70 ,000 Moroccan

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00:15:13,460 --> 00:15:18,940
vacation that she says her friend Anna
Delvey promised to reimburse, Williams

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still trying to get her money back, more
than she made in a year at the time,

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from an elusive Anna.

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Over that period of time, that was by
far, like, the darkest time of my life

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far.

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00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:38,440
I was barely holding it together. I
would, you know, be unable to sleep. I'd

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00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:40,140
up late at night having panic attacks.

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00:15:40,380 --> 00:15:46,020
I would wake up, you know, at 3 a .m., 4
a .m., just filled with so much stress,

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00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:49,020
texting her, like, this really needs to
be resolved. I don't understand why

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00:15:49,020 --> 00:15:49,699
there's a delay.

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00:15:49,700 --> 00:15:53,340
You know, just like pleading with her,
trying to find something that would

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00:15:53,340 --> 00:15:54,940
explain it or fix it.

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00:15:56,100 --> 00:16:01,560
For weeks, Anna Delvey says that her
family accountant is working to wire the

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00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:02,560
money from Germany.

223
00:16:03,130 --> 00:16:05,830
But it's tied up for various reasons.

224
00:16:06,270 --> 00:16:09,770
And no actual funds have made it to
Rachel.

225
00:16:11,390 --> 00:16:16,650
Jesse Hawk says he is also owed money by
Anna for video services he provided on

226
00:16:16,650 --> 00:16:18,210
the trip at Anna's request.

227
00:16:19,290 --> 00:16:23,310
I was constantly in contact with Anna
through text message or email.

228
00:16:23,930 --> 00:16:27,750
I knew that Anna was the type of person
that if you upset her, she would just

229
00:16:27,750 --> 00:16:28,750
write you off.

230
00:16:29,030 --> 00:16:34,980
So... I was being as nice as I could be
while asking her to please reimburse me

231
00:16:34,980 --> 00:16:35,980
for my expenses.

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00:16:36,700 --> 00:16:42,860
I'm glad I wasn't Rachel because she
certainly was in a situation that was

233
00:16:42,860 --> 00:16:44,020
more difficult than my own.

234
00:16:45,260 --> 00:16:51,040
Five weeks after returning from Morocco,
Rachel still holds on to hope that Anna

235
00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:56,280
is simply a rich kid who's irresponsible
with money and that she will eventually

236
00:16:56,280 --> 00:16:57,480
get paid back.

237
00:16:59,340 --> 00:17:03,620
But in July of 2017, everything changes.

238
00:17:04,579 --> 00:17:10,319
Anna Delvey is arrested outside the
swanky Beekman Hotel for failing to pay

239
00:17:10,319 --> 00:17:12,079
$12 ,000 hotel bill.

240
00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:18,859
Anna enlists the help of criminal
defense attorney Todd Spodek.

241
00:17:19,300 --> 00:17:24,359
The very first time I met her, she comes
into my office and she's overwhelmed.

242
00:17:24,859 --> 00:17:28,020
The general feel was that she did
nothing wrong.

243
00:17:28,540 --> 00:17:32,720
That she is not guilty of any crimes and
it is a misunderstanding from

244
00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:36,120
everyone's point of view, which is
common in criminal defense. A lot of

245
00:17:36,120 --> 00:17:40,520
often have misunderstandings that lead
them to being prosecuted. Very strange.

246
00:17:41,940 --> 00:17:44,220
For Spodek, the case is routine.

247
00:17:45,220 --> 00:17:48,520
Misdemeanor charges he thinks he can
wrap up pretty easily.

248
00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:51,660
In September 2017,

249
00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:56,200
Spodek appears in Manhattan District
Court with his client.

250
00:17:57,070 --> 00:18:01,770
We appeared in court thinking nothing of
it, and that was the first time the

251
00:18:01,770 --> 00:18:03,570
media got wind of the case.

252
00:18:05,070 --> 00:18:09,470
Something about Anna Delvey catches the
eye of freelance New York Post

253
00:18:09,470 --> 00:18:11,790
photographer Stephen Hirsch.

254
00:18:12,070 --> 00:18:15,730
I just had a feeling that there was
something interesting about her. She

255
00:18:15,730 --> 00:18:17,430
a little out of place. She looked a
little scared.

256
00:18:18,170 --> 00:18:22,950
And so I photographed her from a
distance with a long lens.

257
00:18:23,490 --> 00:18:26,170
I mentioned it to the reporter after.

258
00:18:26,990 --> 00:18:33,750
On July 31st, 2017, the New York Post
website headline reads, Wannabe

259
00:18:33,750 --> 00:18:37,790
socialite busted for skipping out on
pricey hotel bills.

260
00:18:38,970 --> 00:18:43,870
Meanwhile, Rachel Williams and a couple
of friends decide it's time to confront

261
00:18:43,870 --> 00:18:45,830
Anna Delvey face -to -face.

262
00:18:46,670 --> 00:18:51,310
They set up a lunch meeting at a crowded
restaurant on Manhattan's West Side.

263
00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:56,680
Williams decides to secretly record the
conversation.

264
00:18:58,200 --> 00:19:03,180
You know, it started out, I think, just
like, what's going on?

265
00:19:03,500 --> 00:19:06,760
Why is this problem happening? Why can't
you access your money?

266
00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:12,820
And she would say things like, it's not
my fault. It was a lot of blaming other

267
00:19:12,820 --> 00:19:15,460
people. She'd blame her lawyers, her
bankers.

268
00:19:32,860 --> 00:19:35,980
We asked her questions about, like, who
are your parents? Like, what are their

269
00:19:35,980 --> 00:19:36,980
names?

270
00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:38,600
Do you have family?

271
00:19:38,860 --> 00:19:39,860
Like, living family?

272
00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:41,100
Do you even have family?

273
00:19:48,670 --> 00:19:53,130
She gave this fictitious name for her
dad. I remember it was like Daniel

274
00:19:53,130 --> 00:19:56,770
Delvey. She would make up these sort of
lies on the spot.

275
00:19:57,990 --> 00:20:03,190
At the end of the meeting, Rachel
Williams finally realizes that Anna

276
00:20:03,190 --> 00:20:06,870
not the friend or the person she
believed her to be.

277
00:20:07,950 --> 00:20:12,130
I remember texting with the videographer
and he was like, do you think she's...

278
00:20:12,360 --> 00:20:15,680
a fraud, or do you think this is just a
case of, like, rich girl can't access

279
00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:18,340
her money or something? And I was like,
no, I think it's a long -game con.

280
00:20:19,780 --> 00:20:23,800
The next day, Williams contacts the
Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

281
00:20:25,660 --> 00:20:29,500
And I sent them a link to one of the
tabloid articles, and they said, you

282
00:20:29,500 --> 00:20:30,720
I think this girl's a con artist.

283
00:20:31,480 --> 00:20:34,180
I really would like to speak to somebody
I have information to share.

284
00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:38,740
I ended up getting a phone call and
taking my little binder of evidence

285
00:20:38,740 --> 00:20:43,780
to the DA's office and sitting down with
two prosecutors who basically said, you

286
00:20:43,780 --> 00:20:47,040
know, we think you're right and anything
you can tell us will be useful.

287
00:20:49,180 --> 00:20:54,320
Next on American Greed, the stakes are
about to get much higher for Anna

288
00:20:54,420 --> 00:20:57,320
who is not just walking out on hotel
bills.

289
00:20:57,900 --> 00:21:00,780
She's trying to secure $22 million.

290
00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:04,020
The bank documents that she had
provided.

291
00:21:04,640 --> 00:21:09,700
which showed that she had about 60
million euro overseas in a trust fund,

292
00:21:09,700 --> 00:21:10,700
fake.

293
00:21:24,080 --> 00:21:29,600
In a New York City conference room, 24
-year -old Anna Delvey sits down with a

294
00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:32,340
banker and makes a lofty request.

295
00:21:33,540 --> 00:21:38,540
Anna Delvey had entered a city national
bank located in Manhattan and attempted

296
00:21:38,540 --> 00:21:40,540
to procure a loan for about $25 million.

297
00:21:41,580 --> 00:21:45,820
Anna had stated to them that she was
trying to get that loan in order to

298
00:21:45,820 --> 00:21:50,500
up a business, which was supposed to be
a museum of sorts, like an art lounge,

299
00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:52,140
in Manhattan.

300
00:21:53,600 --> 00:21:59,980
Delvey provides German bank documents
showing a 60 million euro trust in her

301
00:21:59,980 --> 00:22:05,560
name. But given her lack of financial
history, City National denies the loan.

302
00:22:06,180 --> 00:22:12,540
So Anna Delvey tries to get one
elsewhere, this time with Fortress

303
00:22:12,900 --> 00:22:17,780
Fortress Investment had drafted a
contract stating that they could

304
00:22:17,780 --> 00:22:21,740
give her $30 million predicated off of a
background check.

305
00:22:22,180 --> 00:22:27,400
Fortress Investment requested $100 ,000
from Anna so they could do their due

306
00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:28,400
diligence on her.

307
00:22:28,820 --> 00:22:30,820
Anna not having those funds.

308
00:22:31,470 --> 00:22:37,790
went back to City National Bank and
requested that they give her $100 ,000

309
00:22:37,790 --> 00:22:40,250
she could give the $100 ,000 to
Fortress.

310
00:22:41,850 --> 00:22:44,950
City National Bank approves Anna's loan.

311
00:22:45,930 --> 00:22:49,610
Anna was given the loan in early 2017.

312
00:22:50,270 --> 00:22:52,010
So by May of 2017,

313
00:22:52,710 --> 00:22:56,710
City National Bank saw that they weren't
receiving any payments from Anna, and

314
00:22:56,710 --> 00:22:58,050
that's when they contacted the
authorities.

315
00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:05,860
Detective Michael McCaffrey of the NYPD
Financial Crimes Task Force takes the

316
00:23:05,860 --> 00:23:06,860
case.

317
00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:11,360
They asked what kind of documentation
she had provided and what made the bank

318
00:23:11,360 --> 00:23:13,900
investigators think that this was a
criminal act.

319
00:23:14,660 --> 00:23:18,820
They told me that they believed the bank
documents that she had provided, which

320
00:23:18,820 --> 00:23:23,880
showed that she had about 60 million
euro overseas in a trust fund, were

321
00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:29,840
McCaffrey can find little information on
the suspect.

322
00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:35,480
We had gotten her Instagram page, and
she had gone by the name Anna Delvey.

323
00:23:35,700 --> 00:23:39,820
So we conduct our background checks on
this individual, and we're not seeing

324
00:23:39,820 --> 00:23:42,200
anything substantial under the name Anna
Delvey.

325
00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:46,660
At some point, we were able to ascertain
that Anna's real name was Anna Sorokin.

326
00:23:47,380 --> 00:23:52,620
Background checks led us to believe that
Anna Sorokin was born in Russia and was

327
00:23:52,620 --> 00:23:53,660
also a German citizen.

328
00:23:55,240 --> 00:24:00,600
McCaffrey then learns of Anna's recent
arrest on theft of services charges for

329
00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:02,960
skipping out on her luxury hotel bill.

330
00:24:04,780 --> 00:24:09,100
Detectives keep digging and find other
banks Anna had frequented.

331
00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:16,100
We found that Anna was opening bank
accounts and writing checks to herself

332
00:24:16,100 --> 00:24:18,340
depositing them into other bank accounts
she had.

333
00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:20,540
That seems benign, however.

334
00:24:21,390 --> 00:24:24,810
She knew that she had a balance lower
than the amount she was writing for the

335
00:24:24,810 --> 00:24:25,729
check.

336
00:24:25,730 --> 00:24:27,610
It's called check kiting.

337
00:24:28,110 --> 00:24:32,110
And Anna Delby pockets nearly $80 ,000
in the scheme.

338
00:24:33,690 --> 00:24:38,730
Once the funds would post or half post,
and before the other bank knew that she

339
00:24:38,730 --> 00:24:41,950
had $0 in her first bank, she was
withdrawing the cash.

340
00:24:42,710 --> 00:24:46,330
The banks would subsequently close these
accounts, but they're still at a loss.

341
00:24:47,550 --> 00:24:51,750
McCaffrey also finds a complaint against
Anna Delvey from a private jet rental

342
00:24:51,750 --> 00:24:53,230
company, Blade.

343
00:24:54,930 --> 00:25:01,610
In May of 2017, Anna had taken a flight
to Omaha for a conference,

344
00:25:01,810 --> 00:25:07,450
and she was able, on credit, to get a
personal plane that flew her down to

345
00:25:07,450 --> 00:25:08,450
Omaha.

346
00:25:09,510 --> 00:25:13,030
Anna never paid the $35 ,000 tab.

347
00:25:15,820 --> 00:25:20,580
In August of 2017, Detective McCaffrey
presents his evidence to the Manhattan

348
00:25:20,580 --> 00:25:21,960
District Attorney's Office.

349
00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:27,840
A couple weeks later, the DA's office
reaches out with another possible crime

350
00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:30,580
add to Anna Delvey's growing list.

351
00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:35,280
The District Attorney's Office had
contacted me and said I should speak

352
00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:39,840
individual named Rachel Williams, who
stated she was a former friend of Anna,

353
00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:44,460
and she had been duped out of
approximately $62 ,000 on a trip.

354
00:25:46,410 --> 00:25:50,170
I wasn't going to just wave a white flag
and be like, okay, like, that's mine

355
00:25:50,170 --> 00:25:51,170
now.

356
00:25:51,330 --> 00:25:58,250
It was reassuring to find allies who
felt motivated, you know, in continuing

357
00:25:58,250 --> 00:25:59,250
the investigation.

358
00:26:00,190 --> 00:26:03,910
Rachel never received any of the money
that Anna had promised her for this

359
00:26:05,030 --> 00:26:10,330
Before we had moved to an indictment of
Anna, we added Rachel's complaint to our

360
00:26:10,330 --> 00:26:11,330
case.

361
00:26:12,360 --> 00:26:19,100
A grand jury indicts Anna Sorokin, a .k
.a. Anna Delvey, on seven counts, and an

362
00:26:19,100 --> 00:26:20,520
arrest warrant is issued.

363
00:26:21,320 --> 00:26:28,240
At this point, she was able to acquire
$100 ,000, and she got pretty close

364
00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:30,040
to a $25, $30 million loan.

365
00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:33,820
We know that she was able to board a
private plane, fly to Omaha, Nebraska.

366
00:26:34,740 --> 00:26:38,040
She was smart enough to steal $80 ,000
from a couple of banks.

367
00:26:38,620 --> 00:26:40,660
So we didn't know what Anna was going to
do next.

368
00:26:56,240 --> 00:27:02,080
Anna Sorokin, the so -called fake German
heiress, is scheduled to appear in

369
00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:04,720
Manhattan court on three misdemeanor
charges.

370
00:27:05,180 --> 00:27:08,820
But the 26 -year -old is nowhere to be
found.

371
00:27:10,260 --> 00:27:13,800
I'm calling her and texting her, and my
office is trying to reach her, and she's

372
00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:14,800
not there.

373
00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:19,360
Her attorney, Todd Spodek, is not the
only one looking for Anna.

374
00:27:20,220 --> 00:27:25,200
The NYPD Financial Crimes Task Force has
a warrant for her arrest.

375
00:27:26,159 --> 00:27:30,860
I had canvassed the local hotels that
Anna might be staying at to see if she

376
00:27:30,860 --> 00:27:32,460
currently residing there, which she was
not.

377
00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:36,140
We attempted to track her phone, but the
phone was off.

378
00:27:36,760 --> 00:27:39,180
So anytime we try and call the phone, it
wouldn't go through.

379
00:27:40,740 --> 00:27:45,440
Detective McCaffrey turns to Anna's
former friend Rachel Williams for help.

380
00:27:46,540 --> 00:27:50,480
And after she didn't show up in court, I
got a phone call from the NYPD and the

381
00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:53,680
DA's office asking if I were to text her
whether she'd respond.

382
00:27:55,050 --> 00:28:00,630
So I did reach out to her, and over the
course of the months that followed, had

383
00:28:00,630 --> 00:28:04,410
to rebuild kind of a trust there and
ultimately figure out where she'd gone.

384
00:28:06,510 --> 00:28:11,390
Through a series of text messages,
Rachel is able to find out that Anna is

385
00:28:11,390 --> 00:28:13,430
somewhere near Los Angeles.

386
00:28:14,530 --> 00:28:18,950
This happened slowly. It wasn't like
fast -fire conversation. It happened

387
00:28:18,950 --> 00:28:19,950
the course of days.

388
00:28:20,250 --> 00:28:21,510
I'm in California.

389
00:28:21,870 --> 00:28:23,270
Then she told me she was in a hospital.

390
00:28:23,850 --> 00:28:28,030
For every 10 questions I would ask her,
she maybe answered one or would say

391
00:28:28,030 --> 00:28:28,809
something else.

392
00:28:28,810 --> 00:28:31,170
So it was hard to get more information.

393
00:28:31,910 --> 00:28:36,150
Rachel finally learns that Anna has
checked into a rehab facility.

394
00:28:37,550 --> 00:28:40,810
Unbeknownst to Anna, she was giving
Rachel subtle clues as to where she was

395
00:28:40,810 --> 00:28:43,250
staying. She had referenced the tennis
court.

396
00:28:43,790 --> 00:28:45,610
She had referenced the view of the
ocean.

397
00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:53,400
We were able to deduce which rehab
facility Anna was staying at.

398
00:28:54,140 --> 00:28:59,720
Police figure out that in true Anna
Delvey fashion, she has checked into the

399
00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:05,280
most expensive rehab facility in North
America, in Malibu, California, called

400
00:29:05,280 --> 00:29:06,520
Passages.

401
00:29:07,680 --> 00:29:11,320
I'm not sure exactly how Anna was paying
for...

402
00:29:11,790 --> 00:29:14,770
this very luxurious and high -end rehab
facility.

403
00:29:15,130 --> 00:29:20,550
However, given her previous criminal
history and her grandiose lifestyle, it

404
00:29:20,550 --> 00:29:24,630
would not have surprised me if she had
coerced her way into that facility with

405
00:29:24,630 --> 00:29:26,930
false promises of later payment.

406
00:29:28,830 --> 00:29:33,850
Ultimately, I was traveling to L .A. for
work and she suggested we meet up while

407
00:29:33,850 --> 00:29:34,850
I was in town.

408
00:29:35,050 --> 00:29:38,190
New York detectives see their
opportunity to pounce.

409
00:29:38,800 --> 00:29:42,720
and ask Rachel to lure Anna out of rehab
for lunch.

410
00:29:43,840 --> 00:29:49,220
The day before and the day of our lunch
date, she was asking me for favors. She

411
00:29:49,220 --> 00:29:53,020
was asking me to go out and buy vodka
and to pour it in water bottles and then

412
00:29:53,020 --> 00:29:54,400
to bring it to her in Malibu.

413
00:29:54,900 --> 00:30:01,120
Just the complete disconnectedness of
her from the reality of our situation

414
00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:03,080
the way that her behavior affected other
people.

415
00:30:03,980 --> 00:30:08,600
It was so troubling that I didn't see
any other way.

416
00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:15,360
Anna agreed to lunch, and on that day,
the Los Angeles Police Department was

417
00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:17,100
waiting outside of Passages.

418
00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:22,700
Anna left to take a taxi to go see her
friend, Rachel, and at that point, she

419
00:30:22,700 --> 00:30:23,700
was arrested.

420
00:30:24,020 --> 00:30:29,980
Anna Delvey is booked into the L .A.
County Jail, where she remains for 21

421
00:30:30,810 --> 00:30:35,930
without anyone to smuggle in vodka or
champagne or designer clothes.

422
00:30:37,430 --> 00:30:40,230
Until she is extradited to New York.

423
00:30:40,970 --> 00:30:44,450
Detective McCaffrey goes to L .A. and
flies her back.

424
00:30:45,270 --> 00:30:49,610
I remember putting my handcuffs on her,
and it was an exhilarating feeling.

425
00:30:50,110 --> 00:30:53,830
We put her in the back of the car, and
we drove her. And I remember the song

426
00:30:53,830 --> 00:30:55,950
Paradise City by Guns N' Roses was on.

427
00:30:56,570 --> 00:31:00,930
And I thought it was so ironic because
there was nothing paradise about going

428
00:31:00,930 --> 00:31:04,910
jail in Los Angeles and being flown back
to New York and continuing to serve

429
00:31:04,910 --> 00:31:05,910
time over there.

430
00:31:05,970 --> 00:31:08,010
So her paradise had ended at that point.

431
00:31:09,850 --> 00:31:14,570
Manhattan court photographer Stephen
Hirsch is there to capture the fallen

432
00:31:14,570 --> 00:31:16,410
heiress' dramatic return.

433
00:31:18,050 --> 00:31:20,470
I photographed her in the hallway. She
was wearing a...

434
00:31:21,020 --> 00:31:24,700
It looked like a plastic black jumpsuit.
It was really shiny, I remember, and

435
00:31:24,700 --> 00:31:26,680
she looked dogged.

436
00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:33,980
And she had her head down, and she
looked distressed.

437
00:31:35,220 --> 00:31:40,720
Anna walks right past her lawyer, who
hasn't seen or heard from her in three

438
00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:42,140
weeks since she skipped town.

439
00:31:42,700 --> 00:31:47,480
So that day is when I found out about
the new case, the indictment for all the

440
00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:49,220
charges, and I was...

441
00:31:50,419 --> 00:31:56,560
surprised to say the least at the time
anna fled new york she was facing three

442
00:31:56,560 --> 00:32:03,320
misdemeanor charges now she's in a world
of hurt indicted by a grand jury on

443
00:32:03,320 --> 00:32:09,680
six counts of felony fraud and one
misdemeanor count for theft of services

444
00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:15,100
realized that there was a tremendous
more details that i had no idea about

445
00:32:15,100 --> 00:32:20,120
that now we're looking at three cases
and The exposure is quite high.

446
00:32:21,340 --> 00:32:26,640
Once the charges are made public, Anna
quickly becomes a tabloid and internet

447
00:32:26,640 --> 00:32:27,640
sensation.

448
00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:32,400
Con artists are able to get people to
hand everything over willingly.

449
00:32:32,660 --> 00:32:37,140
And I think that that's what we're
fascinated by because there is an

450
00:32:37,140 --> 00:32:42,000
it. I think it seems a little
intoxicating to us. We say, oh, you

451
00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:42,679
really clever.

452
00:32:42,680 --> 00:32:43,740
That's kind of cool.

453
00:32:44,260 --> 00:32:47,740
No one really got hurt, so you kind of
admire them almost.

454
00:32:48,490 --> 00:32:50,750
This was part of her mystique.

455
00:32:51,130 --> 00:32:57,610
Once she got her foot in the door with a
few celebrities, a few influencers, a

456
00:32:57,610 --> 00:33:00,950
few key fashion people, all of a sudden
people could look at that and say, ooh,

457
00:33:01,150 --> 00:33:02,530
I want to be in those pictures.

458
00:33:02,790 --> 00:33:04,230
I want that to be me.

459
00:33:05,770 --> 00:33:08,770
But will a jury be sympathetic to Anna?

460
00:33:09,790 --> 00:33:13,550
That is the question for her attorney,
Todd Spodek.

461
00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:17,960
as he tries to convince her that a plea
bargain is in her best interest.

462
00:33:19,100 --> 00:33:21,620
Anna, however, has other ideas.

463
00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:25,880
Anna's decision was, listen, I want to
go to trial. And as a criminal defense

464
00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:30,140
lawyer, you're kind of stuck between a
rock and a hard place, because even if

465
00:33:30,140 --> 00:33:33,320
you feel that a plea bargain is best,
it's the client's choice, ultimately.

466
00:33:34,120 --> 00:33:39,480
I've never seen a con artist want to
take a plea deal, because that's not

467
00:33:39,480 --> 00:33:40,480
they're about.

468
00:33:40,720 --> 00:33:45,660
They are about showmanship, and they
have an overblown sense of confidence.

469
00:33:46,440 --> 00:33:50,880
If she took a plea deal, it would have
been in, you know, page 12 of the

470
00:33:50,880 --> 00:33:51,880
newspaper.

471
00:33:52,320 --> 00:33:55,160
So she got one more shot in the
spotlight, which I think he wanted.

472
00:33:57,460 --> 00:34:04,240
Next on American Greed, Anna Delvey,
facing up to 12 years in prison, turns

473
00:34:04,240 --> 00:34:06,480
trial into a courtroom runway.

474
00:34:07,690 --> 00:34:10,889
There was a stylist that was hired to
bring her outfits.

475
00:34:11,770 --> 00:34:13,330
It was all about the clothes.

476
00:34:14,429 --> 00:34:17,830
What was she wearing and what label was
it?