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Russian-Born Socialite Convicted of New York Fraud – AP

Richard Drew / AP / TASS

A Russian-born socialite has been found guilty of theft of services and grand larceny in New York, facing up to 15 years in prison and deportation to Germany, the Associated Press reported Friday.

Anna Sorokin, 28, assumed the name of Anna Delvey when she tricked her friends and banks into financing her lavish $275,000 lifestyle for 10 jet-setting months, prosecutors said. Sorokin — who claimed to be a German heiress — was born in Russia in 1991 and moved with her family to Germany at age 16, New York magazine reported last year.

A Manhattan jury convicted Sorokin of a total of eight counts of theft of services, grand larceny and attempted grand larceny after a month-long trial, AP reported. It acquitted her of one count of grand larceny and one count of attempted grand larceny.

She faces 10 to 15 years in prison and potential deportation to Germany for overstaying her visa.

Sorokin is scheduled to be sentenced on May 9, AP reported.

“There’s a little bit of Anna in all of us,” Sorokin’s defense attorney Todd Spodek was quoted as saying as the sides wrapped up their arguments earlier in the week.

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