Anna “Delvey” Sorokin, the infamous con artist who posed as a German heiress and scammed New York City’s elite, is reportedly being released from jail – but has been banned from social media.
Russian-born Sorokin went on a glamourous scamming spree as she defrauded banks and Manhattan big names to the tune of around $67m (£51.5m) to fund her jet-setting lifestyle.
“We are extremely gratified by the court’s decision today to release Anna Sorokin,” her lawyer Duncan Levin told US media.
Sorokin, 31, was reportedly granted a $10,000 bond on Wednesday. She will be subject to house arrest.
“While there are still a few hurdles to jump through on her release conditions, Anna is thrilled to be getting out so she can focus on appealing her wrongful conviction,” Mr Levin said.
Sorokin’s exploits in the so-called “summer of scam” ultimately saw her found guilty of eight charges including grand larceny in April 2019 and sentenced to four to 12 years.
She was released from state prison in February 2021 but was swiftly back in jail again after Immigrant and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took her into custody.
Wednesday’s ruling by US Immigration Judge Charles Conroy comes with an interesting stipulation: Sorokin must refrain from any social media “either directly or by a third party”.
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The fake German heiress who conned New York’s elite
Who is Anna Sorokin?
For years she was known as Anna Delvey, a wealthy German heiress with a taste for expensive wine, private jets and designer clothes.
She had become a social media sensation; even during her court hearing, an Instagram account documented her outfits – a mix of designer and high street, and always her signature thick-framed glasses – throughout.
But when the first news stories came out questioning her identity, the story spread like wildfire.
Prosecutors said Sorokin stole from others while pretending she had a fortune of €60m (about £51m) – wheedling her way into the upper echelons of society through multiple acts of swindling in 2016 and 2017, funding a life she should never have been able to afford.
In all, they accused her of stealing £202,000 – including a £26,000 bill she failed to pay for a plane chartered to and from a shareholder meeting for Berkshire Hathaway, a multinational conglomerate, in Omaha, Nebraska.
She was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison and later released, but quickly taken back into custody by immigration enforcement.
Her sensational crime spree has been the subject of news stories, a popular podcast and recently a hit Netflix show.
