Fake heiress Anna Sorokin talks deportation, house arrest

Convicted swindler Anna Sorokin spoke to The New York Times about how important it is to her to remain in New York despite risks of deportation.

Sorokins case became the basis for the series Inventing Anna on Netflix. She was released Friday from US immigration custody to house arrest. She told the Times she would feel like she was running from something if she were to let herself be deported to Germany.

Letting them deport me would have been like a sign of capitulation confirmation of this perception of me as this shallow person who only cares about obscene wealth, and thats just not the reality. Sorokin told the Times late Friday night.

Last week, an immigration judge cleared the way for Sorokin, 31, to be released to home confinement while the deportation fight plays out. Now, she is wearing an ankle monitor after posting a USD 10,000 bond.

Sorokin for years used the name Anna Delvey to pass herself off as the wealthy daughter of a German diplomat, and lied about having a USD 67 million (68 million euros) bankroll overseas to create the impression that she could cover her debts, prosecutors said.

After serving three years in prison for conning USD 275,000 from banks, hotels and rich New Yorkers to finance her luxurious lifestyle, Sorokin was detained by immigration authorities last year who argued she had overstayed her visa and must return to Germany, where she is a citizen.

When asked about what she plans to do now, Sorokin told the Times shes working on her own podcast, which hasnt come to fruition yet, and that she wants to work on criminal justice reform to highlight the struggles of other girls.

Sorokin also spoke about how much she has learned while being in jail, and how its impossible to have been through what Ive been through without changing.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.)