Anna Sorokin used the persona of a billionaire’s daughter to dupe elite circles in Manhattan
A woman who pretended to be the daughter of a German billionaire began her criminal trial in a cleavage-baring dress and black choker.
Anna Sorokin, who allegedly pretended to be the daughter of a German billionaire, began her criminal trial in a designer black, cleavage-baring dress and choker — a far cry from her drab prison attire back in her October court appearance.
She arrived in New York, the world of champagne wishes and caviar dreams, in 2016 with a new name (Anna Delvey) and a wardrobe to match.
But now the Russian-born woman is on trial accused of stealing approximately $A385,000 through multiple scams between November 2016 and August 2017.
It’s alleged the 28-year-old, who went by the name of Anna Delvey, was just “trying to make it” in the Big Apple but did so by conning friends, banks and hotels out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
During the trial of the one-time New York socialite in a Manhattan court yesterday, her lawyer used lyrics from Frank Sinatra’s iconic recording of New York, New York to argue all she did was try to avail herself of the opportunities afforded to the rich.
“Sinatra said, ‘I will make a brand new start in New York, if I can make it there, I can make it anywhere’ because the opportunities in New York are endless,” said lawyer Todd Spodek in his opening statements for Sorokin’s criminal trial.
Sorokin, who faces grand larceny and theft of services charges, was living the high life in luxury New York hotel rooms she couldn’t afford and promised a friend an all-expenses-paid trip to Morocco but instead left her to foot the $US62,000 ($A87,000) bill.
She also allegedly peddled bogus bank statements in a quest for a $22 million loan as she continued to pose as Anna Delvey, the heiress daughter of a fictitious billionaire German magnate.
Rachel Williams, the friend from the promised Morocco trip, wrote in Vanity Fair in May 2017 she was embarrassed to say she was “one of the props, and the audience, too”.
“Anna told me once that her plans were either going to work out, or all go horribly wrong. Now I see what she meant,” Ms Williams said in the publication.
Manhattan District lawyer Cyrus Vance said in 2017 when Sorokin was indicted her
alleged criminal conduct spanned from “cheque fraud to six-figure stolen loans” and included “schemes that resulted in a free trip to Morocco and travel on private planes”.
She moved in celebrity circles, giving credibility to her heiress claims, but this was far from the truth according to prosecutor Catherine McCaw.
“Her overall scheme has been to claim to be a wealthy German heiress with approximately $US60 million ($A84 million) in funds being held abroad,” Ms McCaw said after Sorokin’s October 2017 arrest.
”She’s born in Russia and has not a cent to her name as far as we can determine.”
According to AP, she allegedly claimed her father was a diplomat, an oil baron or a solar panel muckity-muck, but really, he was a former trucker who runs a heating-and-cooling business.
According to her lawyer, Sorokin never intended to commit a crime but instead was “easily seduced by the glamour and glitz” of the Big Apple — even saying she had to “fake it until she could make it”.
AP reported Mr Spodek said she was merely buying time so she could launch a business and repay her debts.
“Through her sheer ingenuity, she created a life she wanted for herself,” Mr Spodek said, as Sorokin sat expressionless at the defence table.
“Unorthodox, possibly unethical, but this is the life she’s chosen to live.”
DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT LOOK
Her look was dramatically different compared with a court appearance in October where her hair was dishevelled and she sported drab prison clothing, the Daily Mail reported.
On Wednesday, Sorokin wore a black Miu Miu cleavage-baring dress during proceedings, with a choker and long hair appearing sleek.
But later she covered up during an inevitably stressful day, putting on a sweater after lunch as her defence lawyer outlined their arguments during the trial.
However, prosecutor Kaegan Mays-Williams argued Sorokin duped a string of rich and well-connected New Yorkers so she could live lavishly while she tried to launch a sprawling Manhattan club that catered to the elite and powerful.
“In short, she stole, she stole from banks, she stole from hotels, she stole from friends,” the ADA told the rapt panel before Justice Diane Kiesel in Manhattan Supreme Court.
In May 2017, it was also alleged Sorokin chartered a plane to and from the Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting in Omaha, Nebraska but never paid the $US35,400 ($A49,000) bill.
Broke and facing a big bill at a Manhattan hotel in July 2017, Sorokin pleaded with a police officer that a bailout was on the way, prosecutors said.
According to court documents, Sorokin said: “I have no money and no credit cards. I’m waiting for my aunt from Germany. She’s going to pay.
“I’m not trying to run. Why are you making a big deal about this? Give me five minutes and I can get a friend to pay.”
The 28-year-old, who has been held in jail since her arrest, faces deportation to Germany regardless of the outcome of the trial because authorities say she overstayed her visa.
Her story, however, may stick around as Shonda Rhimes, the force behind TV shows Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, has announced she is creating a Netflix series on the fake heiress whose Instagram bio says: “Soon on Netflix”.
The New York Post reported both Netflix and Shondaland had acquired the rights to the viral New York Magazine article “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People” by Jessica Pressler.
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