A reminder of her criminal past,” that’s how some viewers described an ankle monitor worn by Anna Delvey, an infamous con artist and fraudster, on her appearance on Tuesday’s night Dancing With the Stars (August 17).
Presented as “an artist, fashion icon and infamous NYC socialite,” the Russian-born Anna Sorokin took to the floor wearing a bejeweled version of the security device she had to wear after being found guilty of eight charges, including grand larceny and theft.
Delvey debuted with what some media outlets have labeled as a “mediocre cha-cha performance.” The response to her appearance was notably cold, especially compared to the enthusiastic reactions for Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik and rugby star Ilona Maher.
“I can’t believe someone who received their celebrity status by being a literal scam artist was invited to be on Dancing with the Stars,” wrote one viewer on X.
The infamous con artist Anna Delvey made her controversial debut on Dancing with the Stars while wearing a bejeweled ankle security monitor
Anna’s number was the final one of the night and saw the con artist perform accompanied by pro dancer Ezra Sousa. The couple moved to the beat of Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso in front of a digital background of flames and perfume bottles.
“In 2017, I was accused of multiple counts of grand larceny,” Delvey said in a voice-over package before her dance. “I did serve my time, and ‘Dancing With the Stars’ is a way to show people a different side of me.”
The clip showed Delvey struggling to land her moves during rehearsals due to her ankle monitor getting in the way.
“I overstayed my visa because I was in jail,” she said, explaining the presence of the security device.
Despite the reportedly cold reception by the audience, judges gave her a warm welcome and urged the public to give Anna “a chance,” despite her past as a convicted felon.
“Reinventing Anna yet again,” judge Bruno Tonioli said. “And it could be working.”
“There was a shift in the energy. Let’s all give this a chance,” Carrie Ann Inaba stated before the dancing number began. “This is about your dancing here. Let’s all give her that space, please.”
Delvey is expected to reappear on the show as the first round of eliminations are set to take place on September 25, a fact that she seemed to have not been too happy about.
“I feel happy I don’t have to do this again,” she said in a post-dance interview, before being reminded that she might, actually, have to do it again next week by one of the judges.
Her life story, coming from troubled origins in Russia and ascending to the highest echelons of New York society through fraud, has captured the attention of people around the world
The 33-year-old was born in Russia and moved to Germany when she was a teenager in 2007. Anna would move again to London and Paris before finally landing in New York City in 2013.
She soon entered into an internship with French fashion magazine Purple, which gave her the contacts and connections needed to prop up a fake private members’ club and arts foundation.
Sorokin used false financial documents to make investors believe she was backed by a multi-million-euro trust fund, supported by multiple forged wire transfer confirmations.
Her scam was successful and she was able to live an opulent and lavish lifestyle between 2013 and 2017, including living in multiple upscale hotels.
Anna was arrested by the New York Police Department as part of a sting operation thanks to critical information provided by a former friend of hers, who accused Anna of defrauding her out of $62,000.
She was sentenced to 4 to 12 years in prison, plus a $24,000 fine, $199,000 in damages and a deportation to Germany.
Anna Sorokin became famous in 2022 after Netflix paid her $320,000 for the rights to her life story, using it to create the 2022 miniseries Inventing Anna.
Around this time, on October 5, 2022, she was granted a $10,000 bail bond and released from prison, however, she is required to remain in home confinement with electronic monitoring and no access to social media.
On the chance that she is allowed to leave her house, such as to participate in Dancing with the Stars, she’s legally obligated to wear an ankle bracelet, which, no matter if it’s decorated with jewels and diamonds, serves as a stark reminder of her status as a criminal.
