Exploring Anna Delvey’s Past: Her Journey to Dancing with the Stars Season 33

Dancing with the Stars has featured a diverse lineup of celebrity participants, including athletes and reality television stars. This season, the focus is on Anna Delvey, the infamous con artist who gained notoriety for masquerading as a wealthy German heiress in New York City.

Using the alias Anna Sorokin, she made a splash on Dancing with the Stars Season 33 sporting a jewel-adorned ankle monitor. Her ongoing legal battles concerning her immigration status in the United States have enabled her participation in the show.

Despite being under house arrest and monitored by an ankle bracelet, her stint on the show has ignited discussions about the ethical implications of showcasing someone with her criminal history.

Her situation transcends legal matters and raises significant cultural questions. While some view her as a symbol of anti-establishment rebellion, others are baffled by her ability to remain visible in public. According to The New York Post, her appearance has been dubbed “a new low for pop culture.”

Who is Anna Delvey from Dancing with the Stars?

Anna Delvey, originally a German native, posed as an elite European socialite and infiltrated the affluent circles of New York City during the mid-2010s. She successfully defrauded banks, businesses, and individuals out of hundreds of thousands of dollars by claiming to have wealth that did not exist.

Her audacity captivated audiences, particularly following an investigative piece in New York Magazine in 2018, which eventually inspired the Netflix series Inventing Anna.

Despite her fraudulent activities, Sorokin has leveraged her fame to maintain a presence in the spotlight. Jessica Pressler, the journalist who first reported on her story, noted,

“People don’t look that far past the surface,” adding, “Dancing with the Stars…it’s a natural extension of the story.”

Her Participation in Shows

Sorokin’s role in Dancing with the Stars marks a new chapter in her public narrative. ABC has faced considerable backlash for portraying her as an

“artist, fashion icon, and infamous NYC socialite.”

Many critics argue about the appropriateness of granting a platform to a convicted fraudster, with Whoopi Goldberg stating on The View that Sorokin’s appearance on the show reflects a “two-tier immigration system” favoring the affluent.

Nevertheless, the legal system has permitted her participation. Her immigration attorney and former acting head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), John Sandweg, stated that Sorokin’s deportation case has been “fairly protracted.”

Sandweg also mentioned that her initial house arrest conditions were “really restrictive.”However, as of August 2023, those restrictions were relaxed, which allowed her to travel to Los Angeles for the filming of Dancing with the Stars.

Her Crimes

Her fraudulent schemes have cost victims upwards of $200,000. She falsified banking documents and defrauded both individuals and businesses. One of her most audacious acts was securing a $22 million loan to establish an arts organization named after her. In 2017, she was apprehended in California.

In 2019, she was convicted of multiple charges, including grand larceny, and sentenced to four to twelve years in prison. Although she was released in February 2021 after serving nearly four years, she became embroiled in a new legal battle with U.S. immigration authorities for overstaying her visa.

Where is Anna Delvey Now?

Since her release from prison, Sorokin has been under house arrest in New York, where she remains a media sensation. Even while wearing her court-mandated ankle monitor, she has conducted interviews and launched a podcast.

ABC along with Dancing with the Stars producers have defended their decision. Conrad Green stated,

“Yes, [Sorokin] had the issues she’s had, but we’ve had other people on the show who’ve had criminal issues in the past. She served her time.”

As she takes to the dance floor, Sorokin’s profile continues to rise, and the controversy surrounding her unconventional journey to fame is likely to intensify.

Dancing with the Stars season 33 premiered on September 17, 2023, at 8 PM ET on ABC and Disney+.

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