Netflix con artist Anna Sorokin gets social media ban
The Russian-born fraudster has more than a million followers on Instagram and used to flaunt her lavish lifestyle.
Convicted con artist Anna Sorokin, who duped wealthy New Yorkers by pretending to be a German heiress, has been banned from all forms of social media.
The Russian-born fraudster and subject of the Netflix drama Inventing Anna has more than a million followers on Instagram and used to flaunt her lavish lifestyle while cheating banks, hotels and friends out of thousands of dollars.
She is being released from prison after more than a year in custody in New York while fighting her deportation. A judge ruled Sorokin, also known as Anna Delvey, should be released on a $US10,000 bond. She will be subjected to 24-hour home confinement while her immigration case makes its way through the courts.
Sorokin’s lawyer Duncan Levin said she should be released within days. He said: “We are extremely gratified by the court’s decision today to release Anna Sorokin. The judge rightfully recognised that Anna is not a danger to the community.
“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.”
In 2019 Sorokin, now 31, was convicted on charges including grand larceny after she bankrolled her life by convincing New York’s elite social circles that she was an heiress sitting on a vast fortune. She was actually the daughter of a lorry driver but had her friends cover expenses including plane tickets. Sorokin was sentenced to at least four years in prison but was released on parole last year for good behaviour.
Shortly afterwards she was detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency for overstaying her visa and has been fighting against deportation ever since.
In his ruling, which was obtained on Thursday by the Daily Beast news website, immigration judge Charles Conroy said Sorokin did not pose a flight risk.
He said: “She will be required to abide by conditions of release imposed both by the New York State Parole Board and immigration authorities, which, combined with her status as a public figure, will make it particularly difficult for her to avoid detection.” She must also avoid using social media “either directly or a third party”, the website reported.
The Times
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