Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more!
Anna Sorokin Says She's Ready To 'Fix Things' After Being Released From ICE Custody
Fake heiress Anna Sorokin shared her plans to fight deportation after she was released from ICE custody on house arrest in New York City's East Village neighborhood.
Fake heiress Anna Sorokin is speaking out after being released from a federal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility on house arrest Friday.
The convicted scammer had previously been held at an Orange County, New York facility for more than 18 months after she was arrested for an expired visa.
Speaking from her new 1-bedroom apartment in the East Village, Sorokin explained she's ready for a fresh start as she and her legal team await deportation proceedings.
"I just did not want it to go down the way ICE wanted it to. Letting them deport me would have been like a sign of capitulation — confirmation of this perception of me as this shallow person who only cares about obscene wealth, and that’s just not the reality," she told The New York Times.
RELATED: Anna 'Delvey' Sorokin Admits What She Did Was 'Definitely Unethical' In New Interview
Sorokin said that she views her house arrest as an opportunity to prove that she's been reformed after serving time for eight charges, including attempted grand larceny, grand larceny, and theft of services — she served three years in prison and was released on good behavior in February 2021.
"I’m trying to fix what I’ve done wrong. I have so much history in New York and I felt like if I were in Europe, I’d be running from something," Sorokin explained.
The 31-year-old said she's already making steps to become financially independent, noting that she paid for her apartment and bond money on her own — though her legal team helped find the apartment for her while she was in custody. She intends to continue making her own money through artwork and a potential podcast, as well as a book.
"I’d love to do something with criminal-justice reform to kind of highlight the struggles of other girls," she shared.
As Sorokin looks towards the future, she's hopeful that people will see she's made real changes, saying, "So many people just can’t wait to see me do something crazy, or illegal, and go back to jail. I would not want to give them the satisfaction."
Judge Charles Conroy decided to release Sorokin on Oct. 6, citing her intentions to seek gainful employment. The judge also noted that her newfound celebrity status would make it "particularly difficult for her to avoid detection” in the public, according to the Daily Beast.
That being said, Conroy ordered that Sorokin must abstain from posting on social media “either directly or by a third party" as part of the conditions of her release. Though she's disappointed, Sorokin, whose story was the basis for the Netflix series "Inventing Anna," said she's fine abiding by that rule.
"Maybe it's for the best? It’s really hard to tune out distractions," she told the NYT.
