The legal battle behind Anna Delvey’s ‘Dancing with the Stars’ debut

Known for its glam and glitter, Dancing with the Stars has been a staple of American television for nearly 20 years. But there will be a twist during the show’s primetime premiere on Tuesday, when convicted fraudster Anna Delvey (real name Anna Sorokin) takes to the floor wearing a bejeweled ankle monitor.

Disney-owned ABC described Sorokin in a press release as “an artist, fashion icon and notorious New York socialite” and a “notorious ankle bracelet fashionista.” She will star in the latest US spin-off of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, alongside a cast that includes an NBA veteran, reality TV stars and two Olympians.

Critics accused the channel of glorifying her past crimes. The New York Post called it “a new low for pop culture.”

Some also questioned how she, as a German-Russian citizen, had the right to live and work in the United States.

Sorokin’s electronic ankle monitor was not due to her original conviction in 2019, when she traveled the world pretending to be a European heiress and defrauded banks, lawyers and a private jet company of more than $200,000 (£150,000).

Instead, the ankle monitor is the result of a years-long immigration battle in the United States, where she is fighting deportation.

Debate is raging online about this new chapter of shame.

Some seem to admire her endless ambition, as if she represents some twisted version of the American dream. Others blasted her continued self-promotion and lack of remorse, calling her shameless.

In a heated discussion on The View, Whoopi Goldberg said her appearance on Dancing with the Stars despite facing immigration charges is a benefit to the rich or An example of a linked “two-tier immigration system”.

Others said it was not surprising to see her convictions ignored in a country where a felon is running for president.

Sorokin first gained notoriety in 2018 when New York Magazine published an investigation into his misconduct. .

It’s this audacity that intrigues people. She worked her way into New York City’s elite through a conspiracy that lasted for years. Her goal is to secure a $22 million loan to establish an arts foundation in her name.

While she was living as an heiress, she falsified bank statements, racked up huge bills at luxury hotels she couldn’t afford, stormed out of restaurants without paying, bounced checks, forged emails from her accountant, and had Others footed the bill for her. Small businesses and individuals are also affected.

Jessica Pressler, who wrote the first article about her, said: “She’s been a public figure long enough that I don’t think people remember the details of these crimes – if they were If you knew it from the beginning.

“People don’t take things too seriously,” she added, admitting that’s what fueled the initial fraud. “Dancing with the Stars… it’s a natural extension of the story.”

Sorokin was arrested in 2017 while on the run in California and faced a criminal trial in New York. In 2019, she was found guilty of eight theft-related charges and sentenced to four to 12 years in prison.

It’s part of her legal battle.

After serving nearly four years in prison, including time at the notorious Rikers Island prison, she was released in February 2021 and is expected to leave the United States.

But she didn’t go.

Six weeks later – after a series of media appearances and the signing of a pay-TV deal with a German company – Immigration authorities arrested her Because she overstayed her visa.

More than three years later, she is still fighting deportation. She served time in prison and under house arrest. In 2022, she was scheduled to board a flight back to Germany in New York. But her lawyers intervened and she didn’t fly. Proceedings over her deportation are ongoing, they said.

Her specific asylum claim is unclear but is believed to be related to her Russian citizenship. She lived there during her early years, but her family moved to Germany when she was a teenager. When she was in New York in her 20s, she held a tourist visa.

While under house arrest, Sorokin launched his own podcast and gave interviews to various media outlets. (Vogue magazine photographed her tour of her East Village apartment; British Vogue wrote a feature on “What is Anna Delvey Reading?”)

“Most of us would be embarrassed to have done anything she did,” Pressler said, describing how Sorokin stayed in a hotel for months without paying his bill and was left penniless. Fly to Morocco. “From staying in a hotel for months without paying the bill, to not having the money to fly to Morocco, no one would do that. She did it with aplomb. I think in general that’s the extent of people’s admiration for her.

“They wouldn’t do these things, they think what she did is bad, but ordinary people wish they could have that belief themselves.”

Her current immigration attorney is John Sandweg, who served as acting head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during Barack Obama’s presidency.

He told the BBC that lengthy deportation cases were not uncommon in the United States, but that the situation was “pretty drawn out.”

“Her criminal case has also been on appeal for a long time, which has had an impact,” he added.

He said the conditions of her house arrest were “really strict.” “We challenged these. She was banned from using social media. We believe that is unconstitutional,” he said. He added that she was not a flight risk or a danger to society and that she had complied with her parole conditions.

Her bail conditions were relaxed in August as a result of the challenge. She is now back on social media and has been allowed to travel to Los Angeles to film Dancing with the Stars. She also has a Social Security number.

ICE confirmed to the BBC that she had been granted travel authorization. “The Department of Justice immigration judge modified the conditions of Anna Sorokin’s release,” the spokesperson said.

Sorokin was required to pay rent while under house arrest, which also sparked controversy. Her landlord filed legal action saying she failed to pay three months’ rent. He claimed Sorokin owed more than $12,000, according to court documents. The case was eventually settled and she moved out.

Sorokin has hired numerous lawyers in recent years. The funds are believed to have come from media deals and the sale of her prison artwork.

Netflix controversially paid Sorokin $320,000 (£230,000) to tell her life story for the Inventing Anna series. After state intervention, she was legally obliged to use some of the money to repay the victims of the theft. But there was some money left over from the original trial to pay her attorney fees.

Netflix is ​​facing a libel trial stemming from the show.

The case was brought by Rachel Williams, a former friend of Sorokin played in the show.

Williams wrote a book, “My Friend Anna,” about their brief friendship and how it fell apart after she was forced to pay a $62,000 bill for a luxury resort in Morocco.

The lawsuit alleges that Netflix used her real name and biographical details in its Inventing Anna series, but that she was unfairly portrayed as a “despicable person.”

According to Variety , Netflix sought to have the lawsuit dismissed, saying they were open to “literary license” in Williams’ interpretation and were protected by the First Amendment.

Sorokin is not involved in the case, although she has been called as a witness in the trial.

Williams’ lawyer Alexander Rufus-Issacs told the BBC the case was expected to go to court next year.

He said Sorokin’s performance on “Dancing with the Stars” “glorified and minimized the crimes she committed and minimized the impact on the people she harmed.”

In court, Sorokin was found not guilty of charges related to his trip to Morocco. American Express eventually gave Williams a refund, but not after she suffered prolonged stress and anxiety, according to her book.

While some view Sorokin as an anti-establishment hero because he infiltrated and ensnared wealthy institutions, Williams doesn’t see it that way. She previously told the BBC: “The system that Anna is trying to destroy…she’s not doing it out of some selfless aristocracy, she wants to be a part of it.”

In response to the recent backlash, Dancing with the Stars boss Conrad Green told Variety: “Yes, [Sorokin] There are issues that she has, but other people on our show have had criminal issues in the past. She served her sentence. I think it makes perfect sense for her to be on this show.