Anna Sorokin: fake German heiress sentenced to up to 12 years in prison

• Sorokin, 28, guilty of deception worth more than $200,000
• Judge: ‘She was blinded by the glitter and glamour of New York’

Edward Helmore in New York and agencies
Thu 9 May 2019 21.12 BST First published on Thu 9 May 2019 20.20 BST

A judge has sentenced the fake German heiress Anna Sorokin to four to 12 years in prison for defrauding hotels, restaurants, a private jet operator and banks out of more than $200,000.

Judge Diane Kiesel said she was “stunned by the depth of the defendant’s deception, her labyrinthine lies that kept her con afloat” at the sentencing on Thursday afternoon in Manhattan state court. As she handed down sentence, Kiesel reportedly made a reference to Bruce Springsteen’s song Blinded by the Light.

“She was blinded by the glitter and glamour of New York City,” the judge said, according to BuzzFeed News.

Sorokin, a would-be art collector, planned to open a members-only arts club but became known as the “Soho grifter” after her deception upon New York’s glitzy social scene came to light. Sorokin, 28, was found guilty last month of grand larceny and theft of services.

During the trial she was admonished for throwing tantrums when she couldn’t get her stylist-curated outfits, and drew unflattering sketches of the lead prosecutor during testimony.

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