The Latest: Fake German heiress gets 4-12 years in prison

National Business

The Latest: Fake German heiress gets 4-12 years in prison

The Associated Press

May 09, 2019 12:06 PM

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FILE – In this April 25, 2019, file photo, Anna Sorokin, right, and her lawyer Todd Spodek react as the jury foreman reads the verdict in New York. Spodek, a fake German heiress who swindled tens of thousands of dollars from New York banks and hotels, is set to learn her punishment. She faces sentencing Thursday, May 9, in Manhattan state court following her conviction for theft of services and grand larceny.


Mary Altaffer

AP Photo


NEW YORK

The Latest on the sentencing of the fake German heiress (all times local):

3 p.m.

A judge has sentenced the fake German heiress Anna Sorokin to four to 12 years behind bars for defrauding New York banks and hotels.

Judge Diane Kiesel says she was “stunned by the depth of the defendant’s deception” at the sentencing Thursday afternoon in Manhattan state court.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says it will seek to deport Sorokin to Germany following her release from state custody. ICE said she Sorokin overstayed her 2017 visa.

The 28-year-old was found guilty last month of swindling some $200,000 through a series of scams. She was convicted of grand larceny and theft of services.

Prosecutors said she overdrew a bank account and forged financial records to further the ruse.

Sorokin’s attorney insisted she intended to pay the money back. But prosecutors said she has “not a cent” to her name.

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1:10 a.m.

A fake German heiress who swindled tens of thousands of dollars from New York banks and hotels is set to learn her punishment.

Anna Sorokin will be sentenced Thursday in state court following her conviction for theft of services and grand larceny.

Sorokin’s defense attorney has said she faces up to 15 years in prison on the most serious charge. She also faces could be deported to Germany for overstaying her visa.

A Manhattan jury last month found Sorokin guilty of defrauding banks, hotels and friends of more than $200,000. Prosecutors said she attempted to steal millions more through multiple scams.

Sorokin falsely claimed her father was a diplomat or an oil baron.

Her attorney argued she never intended to commit a crime and planned to pay the money back.

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