Anna Sorokin, aka Anna Delvey, the con artist and fake heiress who inspired the Netflix series Inventing Anna, was released from ICE detention. The Court found her guilty of robbing banks and her friends of over $200,000. She scammed her way into New York’s elite society by posing as a fake heiress. For the past 17 months, she has been in ICE detention, for the most part at Orange County Correctional Facility.
“She will remain under the supervision of ICE, but will be able to fight her deportation free from physical custody,” CNN quoted John Sandweg, who is on Sorokin’s legal team. He is a former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Additionally, ICE gave her an ankle monitor to keep track of her movements.
In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, she expressed her apparent regret and asked for a second chance. “I feel so sorry for a lot of the choices I’ve made. But I also feel like I’ve learned so much, and I grew as a person.” Sorokin said. “I feel like I deserve a second chance. It was one mistake that I’ve made, and I’ve served my time. I feel like I deserve a second opportunity.”
On Twitter and other social media platforms, a different debate seems to be unraveling. Some believe that white privilege has allowed Sorokin to gain celebrity status and a redemption arc she does not deserve. One Twitter user compared the case to that of Jeffrey Dahmer, who has recently made a comeback in the news thanks to Netflix’s series Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. While both Sorokin and Dahmer continue to be turned into cultural icons with their respective series, media coverage and even a ‘fan following’ of sorts, the latter’s victims – a majority of whom were people of colour – and their families remain silenced. Ryan Murphy’s Dahmer is the subject of recent controversy due to the victims’ families expressing their disappointment with the show.
Next, NYT announces Anna Sorokin as a columnist. White criminals get turned into celebrities. Even the Netflix series angled pro Anna. I hated it. The wrong take. Stop idolizing, start criticizing this behavior. https://t.co/Ua2jlTM2a8
— Ruchi Fruitwala (@ruchifruitwala) October 9, 2022
the way that netflix paid anna delvey $300k in compensation for using her story but gave the families of jeffery dahmers victims absolutely nothing
— zoe ⭑ (@scenedoII) October 3, 2022
When Tapper asked Sorokin if she believed that Americans were fascinated by con artists, she responded with agreement. “I would say so, yes. I was thinking, if I was to be prosecuted for similar crimes in Germany, I don’t think people would really care.”
She added, “Part of it was the prosecution, the way they portrayed me, and the media. They kind of created this idea of me, and I’m just being left to deal with it.”
Sorokin was recently spotted outside in New York for the first time after her release, sparking discussions about her new look online.
‘inventing anna’, anna delvey spotted in nyc after her release from prison pic.twitter.com/BTzr0lAlxb
— ✨ (@PRADAXBBY) October 12, 2022
