Fake heiress Anna Sorokin is driven out of upstate NY jail in white van as she’s put on house arrest

Fake German heiress Anna Sorokin was released from a New York state prison late Friday and transported to Manhattan, where she will remain under house arrest while battling deportation.

The convicted fraudster, who has spent the past 18 months in ICE custody, was ushered from Orange County jail around 5 p.m.

She was bundled up in a white van that sped out a back door of the prison to avoid waiting media.

Sorokin, who is also named Anna Delvey, was taken to a federal building in downtown New York City to be fitted for an ankle monitor before being released at her new East Village apartment.

Her lawyers successfully appealed to the judge on Wednesday to release her.

The convicted fraudster, who has spent the past 18 months in ICE custody, was ushered from Orange County jail around 5 p.m.

Sorokin was bundled up in a white van that sped out of a prison back door to avoid waiting media

Sorokin, who is also named Anna Delvey, was taken to a federal building in downtown New York City to be fitted for an ankle monitor before being released in her new apartment in the East Village.

Her lawyers successfully appealed to a judge to release her on Wednesday

US immigration judge Charles Conroy agreed and placed her under house arrest, because “she has expressed an interest in pursuing legitimate work in the United States, pursuits that will receive heavy public scrutiny.”

But the release was delayed because arrangements were made to pay bail.

Judge Conroy said that because Sorokin, 31, is notorious, it would be difficult for her to fly under the radar and avoid detection.

She will have to abide by release conditions imposed by both the New York State Parole Board and the immigration authorities, which, combined with her status as a public figure, will make it extremely difficult to avoid detection.

For all these reasons, the court is of the opinion that [Sorokin’s] flight risk adequately mitigated,” he said in his statement.

US immigration judge Charles Conroy agreed and placed Sorokin under house arrest, because “she has expressed an interest in pursuing legitimate work in the United States, pursuits that will be heavily scrutinized publicly.”

Judge Conroy said that because Sorokin, 31, is notorious, it would be difficult for her to fly under the radar and avoid detection

“She will have to abide by release conditions imposed by both the New York State Parole Board and the immigration authorities, which, combined with her status as a public figure, will make it extremely difficult for her to remain undetected.” the judge said.

For all these reasons, the court is of the opinion that [Sorokin’s] flight risk adequately mitigated,” Conroy said in his statement

Anna Sorokin exits Orange County Correctional Facility in Goshen, New York

Sorokin’s immigration attorney John Sandweg said in a statement: “Immigration detention should be reserved for those who pose a danger to society or an unmanageable flight risk.

“We are pleased that after 17 months in immigration detention and years after she ended her prison sentence, the court recognized that such detention was no longer appropriate for Ana.

‘Make no mistake, she doesn’t get a free ticket’, Sandweg adds. She will face deportation proceedings and her release will be closely monitored by the government.

‘Still, the court ruled that continued detention was not necessary.’

Sorokin wants to stay in the US, despite not having a visa. She is originally from Russia, but also has ties to Germany.

Sorokin’s immigration attorney John Sandweg said in a statement: “Immigration detention should be reserved for those who pose a danger to society or an unmanageable flight risk.

“We are pleased that after 17 months in immigration detention and years after she ended her prison sentence, the court recognized that such detention was no longer appropriate for Ana,” Sandweg said.

‘Make no mistake, she doesn’t get a free ticket’, Sandweg adds. “She will face deportation proceedings and her release will be closely monitored by the government.”

She became famous in 2018 after she was arrested for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in luxury hotels and restaurants in Manhattan.

Her crimes later became the subject of the hit Netflix series Inventing Anna.

Sorokin has been busy behind bars with multiple media and podcast interviews.

She auctions off her prison sketches and also writes poetry.

She wrote a piece for DailyMail.com last month complaining that the US immigration system is broken, saying she spent 18 months “in the pit of the US immigration system.”

Sorokin rose to fame in 2018 after he was arrested for snatching hundreds of thousands of dollars in luxury Manhattan hotels and restaurants

Sorokin has been busy behind bars with multiple media and podcast interviews

Sorokin wrote a piece for DailyMail.com last month complaining that the US immigration system is broken, saying she spent 18 months “in the pit of the US immigration system.”

“Once you’re in ICE custody, what happens next is completely left to ICE. The disturbingly arbitrary nature of the civilian immigration detention system allows immigrants to be detained indefinitely without a judge ever having to assess whether bail or electronic verification was an appropriate alternative to detention,” she added.

“The prison where I live is known for being understaffed. To help alleviate that problem, in the past few weeks alone, 61 immigrants have been removed from this facility without notice and transferred to a facility in Mississippi, where ICE can detain them at a lower cost.

Now those inmates are far removed from their local support systems of friends or loved ones, and those lucky enough to have lawyers have been robbed of the ability to communicate with them easily and personally. Remote hearings are not suitable for suspects to consult with their lawyer during the proceedings.’