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Fake German heiress released from prison in fraud case

Posted February 12, 2021 6:00 am

The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - Anna Sorokin, a grifter convicted of paying for a lavish lifestyle by impersonating a wealthy German heiress, has been released from a New York prison.

A state website shows that Sorokin was freed into parole on Thursday.

A Manhattan jury found the 29-year-old Sorokin guilty in April 2019 of grand larceny and other charges.

Prosecutors had accused her of tricking people into believing she was an heiress with a fortune of about $67 million (60 million euros) by claiming her father was a diplomat or an oil baron. They said she used the funds to cover her high-end clothing, luxury hotel stays and trans-Atlantic travel.

In one instance, prosecutors said she forged financial records in an application for a $22 million loan to fund a private arts club. She was denied the loan but persuaded one bank to lend her $100,000 she failed to repay.

It's unclear where Sorokin will be living. A message was left Friday seeking comment from Sorokin's lawyer.

FILE - In this April 25, 2019 file photo, Anna Sorokin, who claimed to be a German heiress, sits at the defense table during jury deliberations in her trial at New York State Supreme Court, in New York. Sorokin, a grifter convicted of paying for a lavish lifestyle by impersonating a wealthy German heiress, has been released from a New York prison. A state website shows that Sorokin was freed into parole on Thursday.(AP Photo/Richard Drew, File) The Associated Press

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