Anna Sorokin: Fake heiress jailed for up to 12 years for posing as millionaire while swindling top hotels and banks in New York

Woman attempted to live life of glitz and glam, posing as German heiress with $60m trust fund behind her, but the appearance was far from her reality

Anna Sorokin appears for her trial in Manhattan Supreme Court, 24 April 2019 (Jefferson Siegel/NYT)

Infamous wannabe Manhattan ‘it-girl’ Anna Sorokin, also known as Anna Delvey, has been sentenced to four to 12 years for her financial schemes involving New York banks and hotels.

Sorokin attempted to live a life of glitz and glam, posing as a German heiress with a $60m trust fund behind her, but her appearance was far from her reality.

Promising payment via wire transfer, Sorokin would rent rooms and eat at restaurants with some of New York’s well-known socialites, but that payment would always fall through.

Sorokin’s scams were innovative and rather successful, getting her into some of the hottest events in Manhattan.

A former Vanity Fair photo-editor went on vacation with Sorokin to Morocco and ending up footing the entire $69,000 bill. Sorokin attempted to obtain several million dollar loans to open an ‘arts and culture’ club, for which she was rejected, but managed to obtain a $100,000 loan which she used for a high-end shopping spree.

Assistant district attorney Catherine McCaw said: “The defendant didn’t want to live an ordinary life, and she was willing to steal in order to get that.”

Sorokin, 28, has been ordered to repay nearly $200,000 in restitution, in addition to a $24,000 dollar fine. She was found guilty of multiple charges of fraud in April, including grand larceny in the second degree and theft of services.

Judge Diane Kiesel noted that she herself was “stunned by the depth of the defendant’s deception”.

The Guardian reported Immigration and Customs Enforcement has stated that they intend to deport Sorokin, who was born in Russia, back to Germany after she serves out her sentence as the faux-heiress overstayed her 2017 visa.

Sorokin’s story has been closely followed by the media, in similar fashion to Fyre Festival’s Billy McFarland. Lengthy profiles at fashion magazines focused on Sorokin’s ‘summer of scam’. Shonda Rhimes is producing a Netflix series on Sorokin, Lena Dunham producing another for HBO.