Fake German heiress will spend four to 12 years in New York jail

New York (dpa) - Anna Sorokin, who posed as a German heiress to scam her way into New York's high society and steal money from hotels and banks, was on Thursday sentenced to four to 12 years in prison.

The court ordered Sorokin - who posed as a millionaire heiress called Anna Delvey - to pay almost 200,000 dollars in restitution and 24,000 dollars in fines.

The defendant was found guilty in April of stealing more than 200,000 dollars while posing as the heiress.

Her lawyer Todd Spodek said she was not a career criminal or a "menace to society," but a "young adult who made numerous mistakes."

Sorokin, wearing a long-sleeved black dress, spoke only to say she was sorry for her mistakes.

But Judge Diane Kiesel painted a picture of the young wannabe socialite as vain and remorseless.

"I don’t see any indication she ever sat in jail thinking about all the cheating, the stealing and the lying," Kiesel said.

She added that she was "stunned by the depth of the defendant’s deception" that kept her con afloat for so long.

Even when her scam "came crashing down like a house of cards and the defendant was running from luxury hotel to luxury hotel, one step ahead of the law," she was still "sipping [wine] that she knew she couldn't pay for," Kiesel said.

Sorokin submitted a letter from three family members asking for leniency ahead of the sentencing, but the judge asked how she could have "any faith" that it genuinely came from them when it was provided by the defendant.

Kiesel said she was aware that Sorokin had a sizeable online following as an internet "influencer" and said the sentence should be a message to her fans.

Spodek had previously made Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" a "theme song" for the trial of Sorokin, Kiesel said, referencing the lawyer's comments during the court case that his client had been hoping for a "brand new start," as the famous tune goes.

But Kiesel said her song of choice whould be Bruce Springsteen's "Blinded by the Light" as Sorokin was "blinded by the glitter and glamour of New York City."

The 28-year-old operated under the name Anna Delvey for nearly a year, claiming to be a German heiress with a 60-million-dollar fortune.

In reality, Sorokin was born near Moscow and moved to Germany at the age of 16, going to school in the town of Eschweiler near Cologne.

Her convictions include grand larceny in the first degree and theft of services.

Between November 2016 and August 2017, Sorokin is said to have secured restaurant visits, gifts, trips, hotel stays and bank loans totalling 275,000 dollars through a series of scams.

In remarks to press outside the courtroom, Spodek said he planned to appeal on behalf of his client. But she will likely be deported to Germany after she serves her sentence, he added.

"She’s a strong woman, I mean she’s been incarcerated for almost two years by herself in America, in Rikers Island, one of the world’s most notorious jails and held up strong," he said.

"She’s been positive, she’s been working with me and I’m sure this won't be the last time we hear from her."

Shonda Rhimes, creator of hit TV show "Scandal," plans to make a Netflix series about Sorokin, while Lena Dunham from "Girls" has said she is also making programme for Netflix based on Sorokin's story.​

Published by dpa International (May 9, 2019)