Convicted Con Artist Anna Delvey Tangos to the Top With ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Announcement: Who Is She?

Anna Delvey – the woman who conned members of upper-class circles and defrauded many –  is making her return to the media. Delvey – also known as Anna Sorokin –  has rocked the world once again with the announcement of her addition to the Dancing With the Stars cast, which is set to premiere on September 17. 

While many are upset by Delvey’s casting, she says it’s not a big deal. “It’s just not that serious,” she explained. “If someone is that upset about casting on a dancing show, I don’t know what to tell them.” 

Who is Anna Delvey? 

Delvey’s name previously appeared in headlines, but not for the best of reasons. The public figure was caught for scamming a number of people, hotels and banks from 2013 until 2017, when she was finally caught, arrested and convicted of grand larceny, larceny in the second degree, and theft of services. Her story gained even more notoriety when her former friend Rachel DeLoache Williams wrote a thorough article for Vanity Fair detailing their relationship and fallout – when a Netflix show came out about her life, Delvey turned into a bonafide star. 

Once Delvey was released from prison after serving two years of a four to 12 year sentence, she was confined to house arrest in New York City. In the time since, she has painted herself as a socialite and social media star. From hosting New York Fashion Week events on her building’s rooftop to keeping followers up to date on Instagram, Delvey has turned a life of crime into a spotlight for flattering fame.

What happened to Anna Delvey? 

In October 2017, Delvey was caught in a sting operation and was arrested. She was found guilty on eight charges, and it was estimated that she stole around $275,000. 

As aforementioned, Delvey was sentenced, fined $24,000 and ordered to pay $199,000 in restitution. In February 2021, she was released early from Albion Correctional Facility in New York, but it was only about a month before she was taken into custody with ICE, or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, for overstaying her visa. 

In October 2022, she was released from an ICE facility but had to pay a $10,000 bail. To pay off all the money she owed, Delvey used the reported $320,000 she received from Netflix for the rights to her life story.  

How is Anna Delvey able to perform on ‘Dancing with the Stars’? 

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While Delvey is technically under house arrest in New York City, she will be able to compete in the series live, which is filmed in Los Angeles, California. While she is still under strict traveling restrictions, Delvey confirmed, “I’ve been waiting to get permission from ICE to travel out of state,” which she has gotten specifically for the competition series. 

“I kind of got talked into doing this. I got the permission from ICE and then it was kind of too late to back out,” Delvey explained in an interview. She will also have to wear an ankle monitor, but that has been an integral part of her DWTS promo. Her partner, Ezra Sosa, even plans to bedazzle the monitor because, “Obviously! It’s Dancing with the Stars! What do you expect?” 

Delvey had a surprisingly blunt reaction to the idea of winning the Mirrorball trophy on Dancing With the Stars, something that Sosa would love. 

“Nothing, really. I don’t know,” Sorokin responded to what it would mean to win. She then laughed and quickly clarified her response, saying, “It would be great.” 

Sosa gave his own answer to the question, explaining, “For me, it’d mean a little bit more than that though, because I do love what I do, and this show’s been my biggest dream.” 

Catch Delvey on Dancing With the Stars on September 17 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, with episodes streaming on Hulu the next day.

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