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Fake German heiress Anna Sorokin is led away after being sentenced
A German woman who posed as a billionaire heiress to swindle New York hotels and banks has been sentenced to four to 12 years in prison.
“I apologise for the mistakes I made,” Anna Sorokin, 28, said shortly before she learned her fate, reports AP news agency.
She was found guilty in April of theft of services and grand larceny, having stolen more than $200,000 (£153,580).
Sorokin, who rejected a plea deal, may face deportation to Germany.
As she handed down the sentence on Thursday at Manhattan Supreme Court, Judge Diane Kiesel reportedly made a reference to Bruce Springsteen’s song Blinded by the Light.
“She was blinded by the glitter and glamour of NYC,” the judge said, according to Buzzfeed News.
Judge Kiesel reportedly also said she was “stunned” by the depths of Sorokin’s deception.
Who is Anna Sorokin? Fake heiress found guilty over NY scam
Under her assumed name Anna Delvey, Sorokin falsely claimed she had a multi-million dollar trust fund at her disposal, as she hired a private jet, attended elite parties, and lived in a luxury New York hotel. She maintained the scam for almost four years.
Meanwhile, prosecutors said, Sorokin had “not a cent to her name”.
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Anna Sorokin (right), then known as Anna Delvey, at a fashion event at a New York hotel in 2014
Her father is reportedly a former trucker, who runs a heating-and-cooling business.
In court, her defence attorney, Todd Spodek, claimed that Sorokin had been “buying time” as she worked to pay back her debts. He maintained that Sorokin had no criminal intent but was instead an ambitious entrepreneur.
According to court documents, Sorokin used her phony persona as a German heiress with $60m in assets to try to get a loan of $22m for a foundation in her name. She presented forged bank statements and would deposit bad cheques, then withdraw the money before they bounced.
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Prosecutors say she went on a one-month shopping spree, spending $55,000 on a luxury hotel, high-end fashion purchases, personal trainer sessions, and Apple, among other personal expenses.
Assistant District Attorney Catherine McCaw said Sorokin had shown “almost no remorse”.
Following a month-long trial, a jury convicted Sorokin on eight counts.
But she was found not guilty of attempted grand larceny and stealing more than $60,000 from a friend who paid for a luxury holiday in Morocco.
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Anna Sorokin tricked the New York City’s elite into thinking she was a billionaire heiress
Even up to her sentencing, Sorokin appeared intent on maintaining her carefully curated image.
She worked with a stylist, Anastasia Walker, to create her courtroom look during the trial.
The initial story about Sorokin’s swindling by New York Magazine was swiftly optioned by Netflix.
The production has been linked with Shonda Rimes, who created TV hit shows Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal.