Fake German heiress released from prison in fraud case

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Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

FILE - In this April 25, 2019, file photo, Anna Sorokin, who claimed to be a German heiress, returns to the courtroom during her trial on grand larceny and theft of services charges in New York. A state website shows that Sorokin was freed into parole on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. A Manhattan jury found Sorokin guilty in 2019 of grand larceny and other charges accusing her of tricking people into believing she was an heiress with a fortune of about $67 million. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

NEW YORK – Anna Sorokin, a grifter convicted of paying for a lavish lifestyle by impersonating a wealthy German heiress, has been released from a New York prison.

A state website shows that Sorokin was freed into parole on Thursday.

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A Manhattan jury found the 29-year-old Sorokin guilty in April 2019 of grand larceny and other charges.

Prosecutors had accused her of tricking people into believing she was an heiress with a fortune of about $67 million (60 million euros) by claiming her father was a diplomat or an oil baron. They said she used the funds to cover her high-end clothing, luxury hotel stays and trans-Atlantic travel.

In one instance, prosecutors said she forged financial records in an application for a $22 million loan to fund a private arts club. She was denied the loan but persuaded one bank to lend her $100,000 she failed to repay.

It's unclear where Sorokin will be living. A message was left Friday seeking comment from Sorokin’s lawyer.