Konnikova is right: McFarland certainly got Eremenko to trust him, even after she found out about his role in the festival. McFarland explained that he had "[lost] a sense of reality" in that period, and they stayed together. After McFarland was released on bail, he and Eremenko spent the summer of 2017 in a Hamptons house he'd rented using cash. Meanwhile, McFarland was still committing fraud under the company NYC VIP, which promised people exclusive access to high-profile events like the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and the Met Gala (which is invite-only).