The Real Anna Delvey Used Netflix Money From Inventing Anna To Repay Her Debts
If you've already felt a little grossed out, a little weird, and a little ambivalent about Netflix and its true crime aspirations, this news certainly isn't going to change your mind or make you feel better! (Although it might make you feel morally correct about your gut feeling, in which case, congratulations.) It's recently resurfaced that in order to secure the story of Anna Delvey, aka Anna Sorokin, for the recently released Netflix series "Inventing Anna," the streaming giant agreed to pay Sorokin a cool $320,000. Did Sorokin pull off one more big scam? Will Netflix do anything it takes to become the king of true crime (and in this case, true crime adjacent) coverage?
I think the safest answer to both of those questions is 1. Maybe and 2. Yes. New York has a "Son of Sam" law (which is quite the reference if you know your true crime) that specifically targets criminals who attempt to make money off books, or in this case TV shows, about their crimes. That law allowed the state to freeze her funds way back in 2019, but an Albany County Judge has ordered the state to remove the freeze from her account so that Sorokin can use that sweet Netflix cash to pay back Citibank, cover her state fines, and pay off her legal fees.
Maybe Netflix Had So Much Money They Lost Track Of It?
Considering the amount Sorokin owes, there shouldn't be much left over once she pays out everyone else, but the whole thing still seems kind of off, right? It seems wrong that Sorokin gets this pool of money that will allow her to easily pay off her debts while so many people who are incarcerated would never receive that kind of assistance. On the other hand, Sorokin didn't commit a violent crime and the one person she did individually scam has been able to recoup her money (and then some). Still, it seems like Sorokin is majorly benefitting from being young, white, and committing a glamorous enough crime that multiple streaming services want to make shows about it. I mean, will Netflix swoop in and save every scam artist with a "flashy" story?
Only time will tell if this news will affect how people view "Inventing Anna" or Netflix as a whole, but I certainly can't see Netflix giving up their true crime ambitions anytime soon. There's too many scammers in the world and not enough TV shows that maybe kind of glorify them. Someone has to fill that void.