Soho Grifter
“Soho Grifter” placed under house arrest, barred from social media as U.S. immigration officials decides her fate
Fake socialite and convicted fraudster Anna Delvey, whose story recently featured on the small screen as Netflix’s Inventing Anna, was released from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center Friday.
Dubbed “the Soho Grifter” after stealing up to $250,000 from banks and hotels in New York City, Delvey (born Anna Sorokin) was found guilty in April 2019 of eight of the 10 charges against her, including theft of services, second-degree grand larceny, and one count of first-degree attempted larceny. She was later sentenced to four to 12 years in prison, ultimately serving three years.
However, soon after her prison release, Delvey was detained by U.S. immigration officials, who kept her in ICE custody since last year as Delvey — who overstayed her visa, among the other crimes — fought deportation to Germany.
While Delvey still faces deportation, a U.S. immigration judge allowed her to go from ICE detention to house arrest — a one-bedroom apartment in New York’s East Village, the New York Times reported — with the budding outsider artist forced to wear an ankle monitor; as part of her release, the Associated Press reported, Delvey was also barred from posting on social media.
“Anna now has her opportunity to demonstrate her commitment to growing and giving back and being a positive impact on those she meets,” her spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer said in a statement. “She has hurdles before her, and she will navigate them with strength and determination, using her experiences and lessons learned.”