In the event you’re a Dancing With The Stars fan, you might need seen one thing uncommon throughout a latest episode. One contestant hit the dance ground carrying a shiny ankle monitor. That contestant is Anna Delvey, whose actual title is Anna Sorokin. She’s a convicted fraudster who as soon as fooled New York’s elite by pretending to be a rich European heiress.
Delvey, or Sorokin, was discovered responsible of grand theft and sentenced to jail. She conned her method into an extravagant life-style, defrauding banks, attorneys, and even a personal jet firm out of greater than $200,000 (£150,000). Her lifetime of deception culminated in a jail sentence, however in February 2021, she was launched. Now, she presents herself as a ‘New York-based fashionista,’ dwelling beneath home arrest whereas carrying an digital ankle monitor.
Why the Ankle Monitor?
Whereas Delvey’s authentic convictions from 2019 had been associated to her fraudulent actions, the ankle monitor she now wears is a part of her ongoing immigration battle in the USA. After overstaying her visa on account of her time in jail, Sorokin is beneath home arrest in New York Metropolis, preventing deportation. The monitor is a situation of her launch, a stark reminder of her authorized struggles as she awaits the result of her immigration proceedings.
A Shift to Actuality TV Stardom
Regardless of her previous crimes, Sorokin has carved out a brand new function as a popular culture determine. In a press launch, Disney-owned ABC dubbed her “an artist, trend icon and notorious NYC socialite” and even known as her a “infamous ankle bracelet fashionista.” Sorokin joined a forged of Dancing With The Stars contestants that included an NBA veteran, numerous actuality TV stars, and Olympians for the newest version of the US spin-off from the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing format.
Nevertheless, not everyone seems to be thrilled with Sorokin’s newfound fame. Critics have accused the channel of glamorising her prison previous, with The New York Put up calling her inclusion a “new low for popular culture.” Questions have additionally surfaced about how Sorokin, a German-Russian citizen, has the correct to reside and work within the US, contemplating her immigration points. But, she has her supporters, together with Dancing With The Stars choose Carrie Ann Inaba, who inspired viewers to offer Anna an opportunity and choose her solely on her dancing.
Regardless of the controversy surrounding her participation, Sorokin’s dance efficiency acquired an 18 out of 30 from the judges. Carrie Ann Inaba, who admitted she felt an vitality shift when Anna took the stage, urged the viewers to concentrate on her dance abilities moderately than her prison historical past. “Let’s all simply give this an opportunity,” Inaba mentioned. “That is about your dancing right here. Let’s all give her that house, please.”
Who Is Anna Delvey?
Anna Delvey was born Anna Sorokin in a Moscow suburb in 1991. She and her household moved to Germany in 2007. Sorokin ultimately relocated to Paris, the place she adopted the persona of Anna Delvey, a rich European heiress, and carried the ruse along with her when she arrived in New York Metropolis in 2014. Her life in New York was a whirlwind of luxurious motels, unique events, and connections with town’s elite, all whereas skipping out on lodge payments and defrauding people out of huge sums of cash.
Delvey’s deceitful empire got here crashing down on October 3, 2017, when the Los Angeles Police Division arrested her in a sting operation organised by the Manhattan District Legal professional’s workplace. One in every of her victims, Rachel DeLoache Williams, who alleged that Delvey had swindled her out of greater than $60,000 throughout a visit to Marrakesh, performed a pivotal function within the operation.
Following her arrest, Delvey was transferred to Rikers Island, the place she was held with out bail. Three weeks later, she was indicted for stealing roughly $275,000 by way of numerous scams, together with free journeys and personal airplane rides. Manhattan District Legal professional Cyrus Vance Jr. mentioned Delvey’s crimes ranged from examine fraud to six-figure stolen loans.
No Regret, No Deal
In June 2018, Delvey and her lawyer tried to strike a plea deal, however Choose Diane Kiesel rejected it, citing Delvey’s lack of regret. The case went to trial, and in April 2019, Delvey was convicted on eight counts, together with second-degree grand larceny, theft of companies, and first-degree tried grand larceny. In Could of that yr, she was sentenced to 4 to 12 years in jail, fined $24,000, and ordered to pay restitution to her victims.
Delvey’s Notorious Netflix Story
Regardless of her prison convictions, Delvey’s story captured the general public’s creativeness and was tailored right into a Netflix collection, Inventing Anna, produced by Shonda Rhimes. Actress Julia Garner portrayed Delvey, and the collection chronicled her rise and fall because the pretend heiress who scammed New York’s wealthiest. Garner, who met Delvey in jail whereas getting ready for the function, described her as “charming” and “mild”—till she needed one thing.
Life After Jail
After serving nearly 4 years, together with her time in Rikers Island, Delvey was launched from jail in February 2021. She was anticipated to go away the US, however she did not go. In a June 2024 interview, Delvey mentioned she was making an attempt to remain busy and productive, although she admitted that being beneath home arrest restricted her choices. “Each day, I do not do something thrilling,” she confessed. “It might be simpler to create extra content material if I used to be in a position to depart the home.”
Delvey stays lively on social media, recurrently posting beneath the deal with @AnnaDelvey on Instagram. Whereas her authorized battles proceed, she continues to have interaction along with her followers, a lot of whom are captivated by her distinctive mixture of attraction and notoriety.
Web Price: What’s Left of Anna Delvey’s Fortune?
Whereas some sources speculate that Delvey is value round $50,000, her precise internet value stays unsure on account of her authorized entanglements. In line with Insider, Netflix paid her $320,000 for the rights to her story, however a lot of that cash was frozen by the state of New York beneath the Son of Sam regulation, which prohibits criminals from profiting off their crimes.
Delvey used $199,000 of the Netflix fee to settle money owed along with her victims and one other $24,000 to repay fines. She additionally spent $75,000 on authorized charges, leaving her with solely $22,000 from the Netflix deal. In 2020, when requested what she deliberate to do for work if she remained within the U.S., Delvey mentioned she hoped to proceed consulting on artistic initiatives, very similar to she did for Inventing Anna.
Anna Delvey’s story is complicated, mixing crime, glamour, and reinvention. From her days as a pretend heiress conning New York’s wealthiest to her present standing as a media sensation and actuality TV star, Delvey’s means to remain within the highlight is simple.