In modern media, white-collar criminals often get put on a pedestal and made into “icons” despite their convictions.
White-collar crimes, as defined by law, are financial-based offenses such as fraud or money laundering.
Society frequently portrays these crimes as “less evil” than others, and perpetrators are not held as accountable as violent crimes.
However, even though they are categorized as nonviolent, these crimes are still causing immense financial harm to individual’s or businesses.
Recently, the lax standard surrounding white collar crime was exhibited concerning con artist Anna Delvey, who was announced to appear on a new season of Dancing with the Stars, a celebrity competition show.
Anna Delvey, also known as Anna Sorokin, was arrested in 2017 under charges of grand larceny and theft of services for scamming banks and posing as a wealthy heiress. She was released in early 2021, and she has since been put on house arrest for overstaying her visa.
She become well known for her ankle monitor on social media which was often decorated with rhinestones to match her outfits or spell her first initial. Her infamy has been idolized by the public, with news outlets and other media referring to her as a “fashion icon.”
Some pushback over the “icon” perspective consider the TV show based on her life, Inventing Anna, to wrongly painting her as a feminist figure rather than a criminal.
Although the press closely followed her journey since the start of her trial and conviction, attention has spiked since her appearance on DWTS was announced. Now, despite her extensive list of crimes, she is considered a “celebrity.”
It’s not only white-collar crime that gets this kind of treatment. In December of 2023, Gypsy Rose Blanchard was released from prison after serving eight years for the murder of her mother and by early 2024 had gained millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram.
Although she was a victim of abuse, she still committed a felony, and idolizing her undermines the seriousness of her crime.
Another problem with romanticizing crime is that it is usually paired with racial bias. Black defendants’ are almost four times as likely to get the death penalty. White defendants’ are more likely to get charges dropped or assigned lesser sentences.
Some white criminals also get idolized for being attractive or “iconic” like Anna Delvey, Gypsy Rose and Jeffrey Dahmer. The same idolization doesn’t occur for black defendants.
By turning Delvey into an idol and “icon,” the public is exemplifying how certain criminals get their convictions “excused” over others. Anna Delvey’s appearance on Dancing with the Stars is a mockery of the justice system.
Although she was under house arrest and prohibited from travelling out of her state of residence, her media reputation made her an exception. Instead of facing the legal consequences for her actions, Delvey is being allowed to break her house arrest to appear on reality TV as a celebrity. The show inadvertently demonstrates that white-collar crime isn’t taken as seriously as it should be.
