'Socialite Grifter' Anna 'Delvey' Sorokin Allegedly Googled 'Faking Bank Statements,' 'Generate Fake Credit Score Report'
March 21, 2019, 2:18 p.m.
Before her downfall and arrest, Sorokin had enjoyed a glamorous life, attending fancy parties, living in boutique NYC hotels, taking lavish international trips, and sticking to a beauty regimen that included "$800 highlights" and "$400 eyelash extensions."
Anna Sorokin, also known as Anna Delvey, in court last year
The trial of alleged "socialite grifter" Anna Sorokin, a.k.a. Anna Delvey, is underway this week. Sorokin, 28, is accused of posing as a German heiress and swindling numerous people out of $275,000. Jury selection for her case started on Wednesday, and the Post reports that she had a "fashion emergency."
Upon seeing Sorokin, who has been in custody at Rikers Island, her lawyer Todd Spodek reportedly "had an associate run to the clothing shop H&M and spend $200 on something that didn’t scream 'inmate.'" She changed into a "black blazer, cropped black capris and beige sweater," but wasn't able to wear the stilettos, because the Correction Department "deemed them too dangerous."
Before her downfall and arrest, Sorokin had enjoyed a glamorous life, attending fancy parties, living in boutique NYC hotels, taking lavish international trips, and sticking to a beauty regimen that included "$800 highlights" and "$400 eyelash extensions." But her extravagant lifestyle was financed by unsuspecting friends, like a Vanity Fair photo editor who wrote about being duped out of $62,000 during a trip to Morocco. Prosecutors also say her wildlyambitious plans to rent a 45,000 square foot building for her arts foundation were built on lies. In 2017, she was arrested for her alleged scams, including overdrafting a checking account by $55,000 and trying to get a loan for $22 million by faking bank accounts showing that she had €60 million.
In December, Sorokin rejected a plea deal that would have let her, as a German national, leave the country this year. At the time, Spodek told the judge, "Listen, she has to do what's right for her. She has committed herself to trial."
Dozens of witnesses are expected to testify against her, and Spodek told Insider that he thought hotelier Andres Balazs and Aby Rosen—Sorokin stayed at their hotels—might be among them.
"Jurors will hear that Sorokin allegedly Googled the phrases 'faking bank statements,” 'generate fake credit score report' and 'faking bank statements [sic] penalties,' according to the judge’s ruling," the Post reports.
There are said to be two Hollywood projects about Sorokin in production, one based on the Vanity Fair story that has interested Jennifer Lawrence and Margot Robbie and the other, a Netflix project produced by Shonda Rhimes, based on the New York magazine feature.
