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| Photo Credit: AP. |
NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. immigration judge cleared the way Wednesday for fake German heiress Anna Sorokin to be released from detention to home confinement while she fights deportation, if she meets certain conditions.
She must
post a $10,000 bond, provide a residential address where she’ll stay for the
duration of her immigration case and refrain from social media posting,
Manhattan Immigration Judge Charles Conroy said.
Sorokin, 31,
has been in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody since March 2021,
after spending more than three years behind bars for swindling banks, hotels
and friends to bankroll a posh lifestyle.
Immigration
authorities say she’s overstayed her visa and must be returned to Germany.
Sorokin’s
lawyer, Duncan Levin, said they are “extremely gratified” by the decision to release
her to home confinement.
“The judge
rightfully recognized that Anna is not a danger to the community,” Levin said
in a written statement. “While there are still a few hurdles to jump through on
her release conditions, Anna is thrilled to be getting out so she can focus on
appealing her wrongful conviction.”
A message
seeking comment was left with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Sorokin,
whose scheme inspired the Netflix series “Inventing Anna,” was convicted in
2019 on multiple counts of larceny and theft. She was sentenced to four to 12
years in prison, credited with more than 500 days time served while her case
was pending and released on good behavior in February 2021.
Using the
name Anna Delvey, Sorokin maneuvered her way into elite New York social circles
by passing herself off as a socialite with a $67 million (68 million euros)
fortune overseas, prosecutors said. She falsely claimed to be the daughter of a
diplomat or an oil baron.
Prosecutors
said Sorokin falsified records and lied to get banks to lend, luxury hotels to
let her stay and well-heeled Manhattanites to cover plane tickets and other
expenses for her, stealing $275,000 in all.