Anna Delvey, the 28-year-old who allegedly scammed banks and acquaintances as part of a long-running con to enter the upper strata of New York City's social scene, is at risk of being deported.
Delvey, whose real name is Anna Sorokin, is a German citizen who overstayed her visa, a representative for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told INSIDER.
The representative, Rachael Yong Yow, said that ICE plans to deport Delvey. Her agency instructed New York City's Department of Corrections to hand her over after Delvey's criminal proceedings are over.
"ICE is requesting that we be notified prior to her release from local custody so she can be taken into ICE custody," Yow told INSIDER. "Regardless of whether or not she is convicted, she is amenable for removal because she is a visa waiver overstay. If she is convicted, she is sentenced to serve her time in the US."
Delvey became something of a grifter celebrity after New York magazine recounted her saga in May. The article chronicled her alleged attempts to misrepresent herself as a German heiress, run up costly bills that went unpaid, and otherwise grasp for the highest rungs of New York society. Shonda Rhimes is adapting the story for Netflix.
Yow told INSIDER that Delvey entered the US under the Visa Waiver Program on June 7, 2017, but didn't leave the country in the required timeframe. The program permits citizens from 38 countries to travel to the United States without obtaining a visa beforehand, with a maximum stay of 90 days. Police arrested Delvey in October 2017 and charged her with 10 counts of grand larceny and theft.
Any fraud-related offense "in which the loss to the victim(s) is more than $10,000" is designated as a "deportable offense," according to a notice the Manhattan District Attorney's office provided to Delvey. The District Attorney's office said the total of Delvey's alleged thefts cost $275,000.
Delvey is now awaiting trial. If she's convicted, ICE plans to deport her after she finishes her sentence. If she's not, ICE plans to deport her to Germany anyway for overstaying her visa.
A representative for the German Consulate General New York declined to comment on the specifics of the case.
Delvey's trial is scheduled to begin soon and conclude by the end of April.
This week marked the beginning of the jury selection process. Delvey appeared in court Wednesday afternoon with a ponytail, large black glasses, a black double-breasted blazer over a beige blouse, and bright white sneakers. The inside of her right forearm bore what appeared to be a tattoo of a dragonfly.
Delvey had originally shown up in a khaki outfit provided by Rikers Island, where she's staying in jail. The judge overseeing the case, Diane Kiesel, told her lawyers to have her change outfits before potential jurors arrived in the courtroom for selection.
A representative for the Manhattan District Attorney's office referred questions about Delvey's immigration status to ICE. Delvey's attorney didn't immediately respond to INSIDER's requests for comment.
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