Convicted "fake heiress" Anna Sorokin released from immigration custody as she fights deportation

Anna Sorokin, whose exploits posing as a German heiress to scam individuals and financial institutions out of hundreds of thousands of dollars inspired a Netflix series, has been released from immigration custody.

Friday's photographs in the New York Post showed Sorokin in Manhattan's apartment buildings. She said she was "just happy" to be back in New York City. 

The 31-year-old had been held by immigration authorities since March 2021, after she served three years in prison for larceny and theft. The immigration authorities claim that she has overstayed her visa and must return to Germany.

A judge cleared Sorokin's release to home confinement as she fights deportation. Manhattan Immigration Judge Charles Conroy required her to post a $10,000 bond and provide a residence address where she will stay for the duration. She also prohibited her from posting on social media.

Sorokin, who posed as Anna Delvey, was able to establish herself among New York's top movers and shakers by claiming that she had a $67million fortune abroad. Prosecutors say that this was a tactic to gain favor with New York's elite. She claimed she was the daughter of an oil baron or diplomat.

Prosecutors claimed Sorokin falsified documents and lied to banks and luxury hotels, as well as Manhattanites of upper crust. They also stole $275,000. Her exploits inspired "Inventing Anna," a Netflix series.

Duncan Levin, Sorokin’s attorney, stated that Sorokin was "excited to be free so she can concentrate on appealing her wrongful conviction."