Anna Sorokin, the convicted swindler who claimed to be a German heiress to finance a posh lifestyle in New York, is making a new bid to fight deportation, a lawyer said Tuesday. Sorokin, was the inspiration behind the Netflix series “Inventing Anna”. She was taken into US Customs and Immigration Enforcement custody nearly a year ago. She remained jailed in New York’s Hudson Valley on Tuesday, attorney Manny Arora said.
Sorokin was in custody since 2019. She has nearly spent more than three years in prison and has been fighting deportation since then. Last month, an immigration judge on appeal declined to stop the removal of the 31-year-old German citizen. Anna infiltrated exclusive New York social circles under the guise of Anna Delvey. Thereby, posing as a socialite with a $67 million (61 million euros) wealth abroad, according to authorities. She claimed to be the daughter of a diplomat or an oil baron, which she was not.
Anna Sorokin’s defence attorney painted her as an ambitious businesswoman
Prosecutors said Sorokin falsified records and lied to get banks to lend, luxurious hotels to let her stay and well-heeled Manhattanites to cover plane tickets and other expenses for her, stealing $275,000 in all.
Netflix hit “Inventing Anna” depicts Sorokin’s life and misdeeds. She and three other ICE inmates sued the federal government last month after receiving COVID-19 while in custody. The plaintiffs alleged that ICE ignored their booster requests, infringing on their constitutional rights as medically vulnerable people. According to her former defense counsel Todd Spodek, Sorokin arrived in New York City in 2013 to open a high-end members-only arts club, but things quickly spiraled out of control. Moreover, her defense attorney painted her as an ambitious businesswoman who got herself into financial trouble and was only buying time to pay off her debts.
