Anna Sorokin, known as con artist Delvey, is set to join the cast of Dancing With The Stars, the American adaptation of Strictly Come Dancing. This season will also feature notable participants such as Oscar nominee Eric Roberts and Real Housewives of Atlanta star Phaedra Parks. Among the cast are two Team USA Olympians, rugby player Ilona Maher and gymnastics bronze medalist Stephen Nedoroscik, alongside actress Tori Spelling from Beverly Hills, 90210.
Sorokin gained notoriety for her fraudulent activities, posing as a wealthy socialite in New York City. Her life inspired the Netflix series Inventing Anna, created by Shonda Rhimes, where she was portrayed by Julia Garner. For her participation in Dancing With The Stars, Sorokin will be partnered with professional dancer Ezra Sosa, all while wearing an ankle monitor due to her ongoing house arrest, which began in 2022. She has been contesting a deportation order and, according to her spokesperson, has had some travel flexibility within 70 miles of her home and throughout New York City during previous house arrest conditions.
In 2019, Sorokin was convicted of grand larceny and theft of services after defrauding banks and luxury hotels out of more than $200,000. She falsely claimed to possess a $60 million trust fund and planned to establish an arts foundation, all while living a lavish lifestyle that ultimately proved to be a facade. Her rise and fall became widely known after a feature in New York Magazine by journalist Jessica Pressler.
In a twist of fate, Sorokin received $320,000 from Netflix for the rights to her story, but she is unable to keep the full amount due to a New York law that prohibits criminals from profiting from their actions. Following her prison release, Sorokin reflected on the unexpected turn of events regarding her story, stating, “I never asked for Netflix to buy my story, it just happened…everything else, it just spun out of my control.”