Anna Sorokin: fake German heiress sentenced to up to 12
years in prison
Sorokin, 28, guilty of deception worth more than $200,000
Judge: ‘She was blinded by the glitter and glamour of New
York’
Edward Helmore in New York and agencies
Thu 9 May 2019 21.12 BST First published on Thu 9 May 2019
20.20 BST
A judge has sentenced the fake German heiress Anna Sorokin
to four to 12 years in prison for defrauding hotels, restaurants, a private jet
operator and banks out of more than $200,000.
Judge Diane Kiesel said she was “stunned by the depth of the
defendant’s deception, her labyrinthine lies that kept her con afloat” at the
sentencing on Thursday afternoon in Manhattan state court. As she handed down
sentence, Kiesel reportedly made a reference to Bruce Springsteen’s song
Blinded by the Light.
“She was blinded by the glitter and glamour of New York
City,” the judge said, according to BuzzFeed News.
Sorokin, a would-be art collector, planned to open a
members-only arts club but became known as the “Soho grifter” after her
deception upon New York’s glitzy social scene came to light. Sorokin, 28, was
found guilty last month of grand larceny and theft of services.
During the trial she was admonished for throwing tantrums
when she couldn’t get her stylist-curated outfits, and drew unflattering
sketches of the lead prosecutor during testimony.
But at sentencing she was humbled. Wearing a long-sleeved
black dress, she told the judge: “I apologize for the mistakes I made.”
Sorokin’s story became a media sensation, and she received
lengthy profiles in magazines and reams of tabloid coverage. A TV series about
her life was also planned.
Today in Focus
Anna Sorokin: the fake heiress who fooled everyone – podcast
At the trial, prosecutors said she overdrew a bank account
and forged financial records to further the ruse that she perpetrated under the
name Anna Delvey. The jury agreed she had fraudulently maneuvered herself into
“the best position to take money” from a social milieu of wealthy collectors,
dealers and auctioneers.
Prosecutors said Sorokin’s ambition was to “live the fantasy
of an extravagant lifestyle beyond her means”. But her lawyers argued that
Sorokin was hardly unique in understanding that superficial glamour was key to
acceptance in the circles she aspired to join.
“Fake it until you
make it,” explained her lawyer, Todd Spodek. He conceded that his client’s
practice was unethical but, he claimed, not illegal because she planned to pay
everyone back. “Any millennial will tell you,” he said, “it is not uncommon to
have delusions of grandeur.”
The jury rejected some of the charges against her, including
an alleged attempt to fraudulently obtain a $22m (£17m) loan, and an accusation
that she had swindled $60,000 from a friend who had paid for a lavish trip to
Morocco.
Prosecutors told the court Sorokin now has barely “a cent to
her name”.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) has said it will
seek to deport Sorokin, who was born in Russia, to Germany following her
release from state custody. Ice said Sorokin overstayed her 2017 visa.
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