Anna “Delvey” Sorokin, the notorious Russian-born scammer convicted of swindling New York City’s elite after pretending to be a German heiress, is being released from federal jail, her lawyer confirmed to The Daily Beast.
“We are extremely gratified by the court’s decision today to release Anna Sorokin. The judge rightfully recognized that Anna is not a danger to the community,” her lawyer Duncan Levin said after U.S. Immigration Judge Charles Conroy granted the 31-year-old a $10,000 bond. “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.”
A Wednesday ruling obtained by The Daily Beast confirmed that Sorokin’s release was granted, though she will be subjected to “24-hour confinement at the provided residential address for the duration of her immigration proceedings” and must refrain from any social media “either directly or by a third party.” Levin added that Sorokin has not yet left the upstate New York jail, citing “a few hurdles left, like posting bond.”
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Sorokin’s release from ICE custody comes after months of legal fights—and a blowout with Sorokin’s old attorney—as she prepares to appeal her infamous case detailed in Netflix’s Inventing Anna. In April 2019, Sorokin was convicted of swindling financial institutions and businesses out of hundreds of thousands of dollars to bankroll a lavish Manhattan lifestyle. After her February 2021 release from New York State prison and paying back her victims, Sorokin found herself back in jail just weeks later after Immigrant and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took her into custody.
The Wednesday ruling recaps how Sorokin, a German citizen, was detained on March 25, 2021 after overstaying her visa in the United States. In a subsequent hearing, a judge ruled that Sorokin was a flight risk and had to stay in detention until her immigration issue was resolved.
But Conroy ruled Wednesday that Sorokin “has demonstrated interest in pursuing legitimate employment in the Untied States, pursuits that will face heavy public scrutiny.”
“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,” Conroy ruled. “For all of these reasons, the Court finds that [Sorokin's] risk of flight sufficiently mitigated.”
