Fake German heiress taken into US custody, faces deportation
U.S. immigration authorities say they have detained the so-called fake German heiress Anna Sorokin as she awaits deportation
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.U.S. immigration authorities said Thursday they have detained Anna Sorokin the con artist who passed herself off as a wealthy German heiress and served more than three years behind bars for defrauding New York banks and hotels.
Sorokin, who finagled her way into the Manhattan elite using the name Anna Delvey, remained in New Jersey s Bergen County Jail days after she was scheduled to be deported to her native Germany
The 30-year-old was taken into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody on March 25, agency spokesperson Marcus Johnson told The Associated Press.
The delay could mean the one-time darling of New York's social scene is challenging her deportation, which has been in the works since she was convicted in 2019 on multiple counts of larceny and theft.
ICE declined to comment on Sorokin’s immigration proceedings. Sorokin's attorney also declined to discuss the case. A message seeking comment was left with the German embassy in Washington.
Prosecutors said Sorokin falsified records and defrauded financial institutions and Manhattan celebrities into believing she had a fortune of $67 million (60 million euros) overseas that could cover her high-end clothing and lavish hotel stays.
Among other lies, she claimed her father — a former trucker who runs a heating-and-cooling business — was a diplomat or an oil baron.
Her ruse included an application for a $22 million loan to fund a private arts club, complete with exhibitions, installations and pop-up shops, prosecutors said. She was denied that loan but persuaded one bank to lend her $100,000 that she failed to repay.
In all, prosecutors accused her of stealing some $275,000.
Sorokin, who became known as the “Soho Grifter,” was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison after a trial that drew international media attention. She was released from prison in February.
In a recent interview with the BBC, she suggested her audacious fraud had paid off, noting she is writing a book and working on several other projects.
“I am trying to turn the attention I am getting into something positive,” she said.
___
Associated Press writer Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report.