Anna Sorokin managed to convince hotels, banks, and even her friends that she was a German heiress called Anna Delvey until a New York judge called her bluff.
Now she has to persuade the judges on one of the biggest shows in America that she can dance.
The con artist was announced—under her fake name—as a member of Season 33’s Dancing With the Stars cast alongside such stars as Beverly Hills, 90210 alum Tori Spelling, former NBA player Dwight Howard, and The Bachelorette’s Jenn Tran.
Delvey, as she will be known on the show, will be paired with first-time pro dancer Ezra Sosa.
The 33-year-old was arrested in 2017 and accused of defrauding institutions out of more than $250,000 to fund the luxurious lifestyle she enjoyed by pretending to be the daughter of a German oil businessman. She was convicted in 2019 of charges including grand larceny and theft and sentenced to four to 12 years behind bars.
Ezra Sosa and Charity Lawson on Dancing with the Stars.
Christopher Willard
She was only confirmed as a celebrity participant after being granted a special deal by the authorities to travel to Los Angeles to tape the series. She has been under house arrest from her home in New York since being released from prison in Feb. 2021.
The German native was picked up by the immigration authorities for overstaying her visa after leaving jail and spent over a year in ICE custody before being freed to fight her case while under home confinement.
Under her previous conditions, she could only travel within 70 miles of New York’s five boroughs.
The fake heiress will also be wearing an unwanted accessory—an ankle monitor required to monitor her movements as part of her home confinement conditions.
Her notoriety only grew after her story got the Netflix treatment in the hit show Inventing Anna.
Delvey was announced as part of the Dancing With the Stars line-up on Wednesday’s Good Morning America.
Other stars include The Bachelor’s Joey Graziadei, Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Brooks Nader, former NFL star Danny Amendola, Phaedra Parks, of Real Housewives of Atlanta fame, Olympian Ilona Maher, Chandler Kinney from Boy Meets World, Eric Roberts, the actor brother of Julia Roberts, Family Matters dad Reginald VelJohnson, and Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik.
