fictitious German heiress In order to fight her deportation, Anna Sorokin will stay in her run-down Manhattan walk-up apartment, where she posed for the camera while under house arrest.
The notorious 31-year-old scammer who claimed to be Anna Delvey spent the previous 18 months in ICE detention in an upstate New York jail before being released late Friday.
Sorokin was found guilty in 2019 of stealing $275,000 to fund her opulent lifestyle from banks, hotels, and affluent New Yorkers.
She is now restrained to her new East Village residence, where a picture shoot looked to be happening over the weekend, and she wears an ankle monitor.
Sorokin sat down for an interview with the New York Times shortly after getting to her flat, during which she discussed her feelings.
“I’m overjoyed. Nothing could be assured, she said. They previously rejected bail. A test of tenacity was involved. Numerous immigration attorneys warned me that before I could leave New York, I would be sent to Mars.
And all I had to do was find someone who shared my vision, wouldn’t take “no” for an answer, and would help make it happen.
Sorokin said that the one-bedroom apartment that her attorney had obtained was very minimally furnished and included a few garbage bags filled with her immigration papers.
She said, “I could have gone, but I opted not to because I’m trying to right what I’ve done.” I felt like I would be fleeing something if I were in Europe since I had so much history in New York. But if being locked up doesn’t disprove individuals, what will?
The Times questioned Sorokin about what’s coming next, and he said, “I don’t know.” There will be so much for me to do. It’s difficult for me to fall asleep right now since I’m so happy. I genuinely just got out of prison, you guys!
And on Saturday, Sorokin seemed to be working on her future plans as she participated in a picture session at her apartment in the East Village.
Photographers positioned themselves on a fire escape to get the best view, and she was seen posing in one of the windows.
In other images, the criminal could be seen perched on a rooftop, surveying the New Yorkers below as she looked down.
On Wednesday, Sorokin’s counsel were successful in their request that the court free her.
She was put under house arrest after US Immigration Judge Charles Conroy approved it on the grounds that “she has indicated interest in seeking legal employment in the United States,” endeavors that “would bear severe public scrutiny.”
However, the release was postponed while plans were being made to post bail.
According to Judge Conroy, Sorokin, 31, would find it difficult to operate under the radar and escape discovery due to her notoriety.
She will have to adhere by the terms of her release set by the New York State Parole Board and immigration officials, which—combined with the fact that she is a well-known figure—will make it very difficult for her to go undetected.
In his decision, the judge said, “For all of these reasons, the Court deems that [Sorokin’s] danger of flight properly minimized.”
Immigration detention must only be used for those who represent a threat to society or an unmanageable flight risk, according to a statement from Sorokin’s immigration lawyer, John Sandweg.
“We are pleased that the court acknowledged that such imprisonment was no longer appropriate for Ana after 17 months of immigration detention and years after she served her prison term.
She doesn’t get a free pass, Sandweg said, “make no mistake about it.” She will continue to be subject to deportation procedures, and the government will constantly monitor her release.
However, the judge concluded that further detention was unnecessary.
Despite not possessing a visa, Sorokin wants to remain in the United States. She was born in Russia and has family in Germany.
After being detained for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from upscale restaurants and hotels in Manhattan, she shot to fame in 2018.
Later, “Inventing Anna,” a successful Netflix series, was based on her misdeeds.
Sorokin has been staying active while being interrogated by the media and for podcasts.
She has been auctioning off the poems she has composed while in jail.
She claimed that the US immigration system is faulty in an article she penned for DailyMail.com last month, claiming that she had spent 18 months “founding in the abyss of America’s immigration bureaucracy.”
“Once you are in ICE custody, ICE is solely responsible for what occurs next.” The civil immigration detention system’s disturbingly arbitrary character enables for immigrants to be kept without ever having a court consider whether bail or electronic monitoring was a suitable option to detention, she said.
“The prison where I’m being held is notorious for having too few employees.” To assist with that, 61 immigrants were abruptly taken from this prison in the last two weeks and sent to a facility in Mississippi where ICE can hold them for a lower price.
“Those prisoners are now separated from their local networks of friends or family, and those who were fortunate enough to have attorneys have been denied the opportunity to easily and personally connect with them.” It is not appropriate for defendants to confer with their counsel at hearings conducted remotely.