From prison to immigration obscurity: what happened to Anna Sorokin, a Russian woman who gave herself away as a wealthy heiress

Anna Sorokin has been in custody of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for seven months. She is deprived of her liberty as her immigration status remains uncertain. Insider.

Sorokin is a German citizen with Russian roots. She became famous for her New York scam. The woman posed as the heiress of a wealthy noble family named Anna Delvi. Sorokin was released from New York State Prison in February 2021 after serving a sentence on charges of theft and embezzlement.

But on March 25, ICE detained a woman. She expired her US visa and an immigration judge ruled that she should remain in custody pending deportation.

Almost seven months later, Sorokin has not yet been deported to Germany. She is still being held at the Orange County Jail in Goshen, New York, as her lawyer, Audrey A. Thomas, appealed against the deportation orders and requested political asylum for her client.

Immigration judges have the right to release people from custody until their status is finally determined, but even a high-ranking and resource-rich person like Sorokin can remain in custody indefinitely. Even the fact that she hired an immigration lawyer and filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Justice demanding her release does not help the situation.

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Thomas said that the further detention of Sorokin in custody does not make sense. The lawyer added that she represented clients who were convicted of violent crimes. They are all still at large with their watch bracelets.

Sorokin remains in custody, although she has served a prison sentence for non-violent crimes. She also paid compensation to her victims and attended a scheduled parole hearing.

“I have at least three cases where they released violent criminals with ankle bracelets,” Thomas said. "So why can't you release her?"

Sorokin's antics in New York will be discussed in the series Netflix, which is preparing for release, and also in several magazines.

From prison - to ICE custody

Sorokin first rose to fame in 2018 for her bold fraudulent scheme. Sorokin posed as a wealthy European heiress in order to extort money from banks and other financial institutions.

In May 2019, a jury found her guilty on charges of theft, embezzlement, attempted theft and fraudulent embezzlement. She was released from New York City prison in February 2021, where she spent three and a half years. In 2019, she was sentenced to a prison term of 4 to 12 years for large-scale theft and fraud, but she was released earlier for good behavior. A detailed description of her scams can be read here.

Netflix has since paid Sorokin $ 320 for the right to make a TV series about her. The woman spent most of the money to compensate her victims. Mini-series "Inventing Anna" is produced by Shonda Rhimes. It should be released in late 2021 or early 2022.

Active couple of weeks of freedom

After her release from prison, Sorokin spent several weeks in New York. She managed to sign a lease for an apartment in Manhattan and deals for a fashion line and media projects.

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ICE then detained her after she was reported to immigration authorities on March 25. An immigration judge ruled that she should remain in custody. The judge supported ICE's lawyer, who said that she did not reform and did not repent.

The court records show that ICE's lawyers quoted Instagram posts, blogs and media interviews by Sorokin, in which she insisted on her innocence. She stated that the prison system needs reform.