(Image source from: Elle)
Anna Sorokin, the German con artist who passed herself off as a wealthy heiress and swindled tens of thousands of dollars from New York banks and hotels, has been sentenced to four to 12 years in prison.
On Thursday, she apologized "for the mistakes I made" before being sentenced, the Associated Press reported. Judge Diane Kiesel said she was "stunned by the depth of the defendant's deception."
Sorokin was convicted earlier this month on multiple counts of grand larceny and theft of services.
The 28-year-old Sorokin went by Anna Delvey when she defrauded financial institutions and Manhattan celebrity circles into believing she had a fortune of about $67 million (60 million euros) abroad that could cover her high-end clothing, jet-setting lifestyle, and lavish hotel stays.
Sorokin falsely claimed her father was a diplomat or an oil baron, and falsified bank records and forged her identity to further the scam. Her ruse included an application for a $22 million loan to fund a private art club, complete with exhibitions, installations, and pop-up shops, prosecutors said.
She was denied that loan but persuaded one bank to lend her $100,000 that she failed to repay.
Altogether, prosecutors accused her of stealing some $275,000, including a $35,400 bill she failed to pay for a plane she chartered to and from the Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting in Omaha, Nebraska.
But jurors acquitted her of two counts, including an allegation that she promised a friend an all-expenses-paid trip to Morocco and then stuck her with the $62,000 bill. She was found not guilty of the most earnest charges in the indictment: attempting to steal more than $1 million from City National Bank.
Manhattan juror convicted Sorokin of four counts of theft of services, one count of attempted grand larceny, and three counts of grand larceny. The conviction was followed by a month-long trial that drew international attention and tabloid headlines regarding Sorkin’s courtroom fashion.
Todd Spodek, Sorokin’s defense attorney, argued that Sorokin had been "buying time" and preparing to settle her financial obligations. He said she lacked criminal intent and was an ambitious entrepreneur.
By Sowmya Sangam
