A fake German heiress has been convicted of multiple fraud charges after conning banks, hotels and friends to fund an implausibly lavish New York lifestyle.

A Manhattan jury found Anna Sorokin guilty of eight charges, including four counts of theft and attempted grand larceny for seeking a $22m (£17m) loan from a bank.

The 28-year-old Russian-German posed for nearly a year as a Manhattan socialite named Anna Delvey and her scheme became known as the "summer of scam" in 2018 articles published in Vanity Fair and New York magazine.

Following the month-long trial, her defence lawyer, Todd Spodek, said Sorokin faced up to 15 years in prison when she is sentenced on 9 May.

Image: The 28-year-old German national has been charged with grand larceny and theft

She also faces deportation to Germany because authorities say she overstayed her visa.


Prosecutors portrayed Sorokin as a profligate con artist, while her lawyer tried to convince the jury she was an aspiring businesswoman in awe of New York's extravagance.

Image: Anna Sorokin (R) poses with Giudo Cacciatori, Gro Curtis and Giorgia Tordini at a New York event in 2014

Using the name Anna Delvey, she is said to have deceived friends and financial institutions into believing she had a fortune of around $67m (£52m) overseas that would cover her high-end clothing, luxury hotel stays and trans-Atlantic travel.

Prosecutors also accused Sorokin of promising a friend an all-expenses trip to Morocco before leaving her to pay a $62,000 (£48,057) bill, as well as forging financial records in an application for a $22m (£17m) loan to fund a private arts club she wanted to build.

She was denied the loan but persuaded one bank to lend her $100,000 (£77,512), which she failed to repay.

Mr Spodek said his client had been "buying time" and planned to settle her six-figure debts. He portrayed her as an ambitious entrepreneur and compared her to Frank Sinatra, claiming "they both created their own opportunities" in New York.

"There's a little bit of Anna in all of us. This is the life she chose to live," he said.

Image: Sorokin enjoyed a lavish lifestyle as a Manhattan socialite

He said Sorokin was "upset" by the verdict, adding he was pleased that she had been acquitted of one of the most serious charges - attempting to steal more than £1m from City National Bank.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R Vance Jr thanked prosecutors and investigators in the case which meant Sorokin "faces real justice for her many thefts and lies".

He said: "As proven at trial, Anna Sorokin committed real white-collar felonies over the course of her lengthy masquerade".