A wannabe socialite and actual scam artist was arraigned on charges including grand larceny and theft of services on Thursday.
Anna Sorokin, 26, who has also used the name Anna Delvey, allegedly defrauded banks, skipped out on thousands of dollars of hotel bills and tricked a friend into paying for their $62,000 lavish trip to Morocco, according to New York City prosecutors.
All told, Sorokin — who has been photographed at events including a Sotheby’s New York gala and at Paris Fashion Week — is said to have scammed $275,000 while pretending to be a socialite.
Anna Sorokin, 26, faced charges of grand larceny and theft of services on Thursday
Sorokin, who also used the name Anna Delvey, allegedly scammed banks, friends and hotels out of goods and services to the tune of $275,000 while pretending to be a socialite
Manhattan prosecutors said that her cons included claiming to be a wealthy German heiress during a quest to get a $22million loan to fund a private club and managing to keep $55,000 — which she then spent on personal trainers and hotel stays — from overdrafting an account at City National Bank, the NY Daily News reported.
Prosecutors said that Sorokin also deposited $160,000 in phony check at Citibank, siphoning off $70,000 into another account before the deposits could be reversed.
In addition to bank fraud, Sorokin is also said to have had a penchant for grifting hotel services.
The New York Post reported that Sorokin had allegedly skipped out on an $11,500 bill while staying at the Beekman hotel in downtown Manhattan in July. Shortly after, she apparently neglected to pay a $500 bill for two nights at the W New York Downtown.
After failing to appear at a previous court date, authorities track Sorokin down to a rehab facility in Malibu on Tuesday, before extraditing her back to New York City
While pretending to be a socialite, Sorokin was photographed at lavish events including a Sotheby’s New York gala and Paris Fashion Week
In Morocco, Sorokin allegedly cheated the Kasbah Tamadot resort out of a $20,000 bill, the Post reported.
After failing to show up for her New York City court date in September, authorities tracked Sorokin down at a Malibu rehab facility and brought her back to Manhattan on Tuesday.
‘At this juncture, not a single allegation against Ms. Sorokin has been proven,’ Sorokin’s defense lawyer, Todd Spodek, told The Post, adding that there has not been evidence presented that she purposely intended not to pay for the services or goods she received.