Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
'Socialite Heiress Grifter' Anna Sorokin Sentenced 4 To 12 Years In Prison
By
Paula Mejía
Published May 9, 2019
Modified May 9, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Richard Drew/AP/Shutterstock
By
Paula Mejía
Published May 9, 2019
Modified May 9, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Anna Sorokin, the "Soho grifter" who conned her way into a lavish lifestyle by defrauding people, banks, and hotels of $275,000, was sentenced to serve 4 to 12 years in prison on Thursday. "I apologize for the mistakes I made," she said in court.
She was also ordered to pay back approximately $199,000 in restitution, in addition to a $24,000 fine, reports Buzzfeed News.
The judge presiding over the Manhattan state court, Judge Diane Kiesel, said she was "stunned by the depth of the defendant's deception."
Sorokin, 28, originally faced up to 15 years in prison. Sorokin, who is a German national, will be deported by U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) once her sentence is over.
Last month, she was found guilty of multiple counts of grand larceny and theft of services. As part of the grift, Sorokin allegedly falsified bank statements which she then used to convince banks to lend her money so she could keep up her luxe lifestyle, replete with travel, fine dining, shopping sprees, and living in posh New York City hotels. Sorokin went by the name Anna Delvey during her days wheeling and dealing around Manhattan, claiming that she was a German heiress and the daughter of an oil baron or diplomat (depending on who you asked) worth over $60 million.
A widely-circulated Vanity Fair article by Rachel Williams, a former friend of Sorokin's, detailed an account about how the so-called heiress invited her to Morocco on a paid trip, then had her foot the bill for a staggering $62,000 she didn't have. Jurors found her not guilty of the Morocco allegation, and of attempting to swipe $1 million from City National Bank, but did find Sorokin guilty of her attempt to get a $22 million loan with fake bank statements.
Williams later landed a book deal as well as an HBO show, and Netflix bought Sorokin's life rights for a project helmed by Shona Rhimes' Shondaland.
Spodek previously stated in court that Sorokin wasn't a criminal because she genuinely was going to pay everyone back, name-checking Frank Sinatra as he said: "Anna had to kick down the door to get her chance at life. Just like Sinatra had to do it his way, Anna had to do it her way." By contrast, prosecutors argued that Sorokin positioned herself so that she could steal money from the wealthy, to "live the fantasy of an extravagant lifestyle beyond her means."
Tagged
anna sorokin
court
fraud
grand larceny
sentencing
soho grifter
theft of services
Paula Mejía
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .