Friday 20 May 2022 01:37 PM Jailed fake heiress Anna Delvey makes virtual appearance at NYC art show as she ... trends now

Fake heiress Anna Sorokin unveiled an art exhibition featuring her hand-drawn sketches in New York City last night, despite the fraudster remaining in federal custody for overstaying her visa.

Sorokin, 31, addressed a small crowd at the city's Public Hotel virtually on a video link from the Orange County Detention Facility in New York to unveil her art collection, which she says shows 'her narrative from her perspective'.

The one-night-only art exhibition, titled 'Allegedly', features 20 sketches drawn by Sorokin in prison, with the artworks worth an estimated $500,000.

Sorokin, the convicted swindler who claimed to be a German heiress called 'Anna Delvey' to finance a posh lifestyle in New York and whose scheme was depicted in the Netflix series 'Inventing Anna', is in ICE custody for overstaying her visa and is awaiting deportation back to Germany.

But despite being in prison, Sorokin launched the art exhibition where models, wearing sunglasses and fishnet masks over their faces, walked around holding the fraudster's gold framed sketches.

Appearing on a video call wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, Sorokin, according to Variety, told a crowd at the exhibition: 'Hi everyone, Anna Delvey, here. I hope you guys are enjoying your evening so far. 

'I'm so very excited to unveil my first-ever art collection, titled 'Allegedly'. This is a collection of sketches I've created while in Orange County Detention. 

'I wanted to capture some of the moments of the past years, both never-seen-before and iconic, using the limited tools I have at my disposal. Some of the pieces are straightforward, others are more abstract and will be unique in meaning and appearance.

'I studied fashion illustration in Paris and haven't really sketched until my trial.'

Sorokin added: 'You've heard so many voices already, but this is the beginning of me telling my story, my narrative from my perspective. I hope you guys enjoy the show.'   

Sorokin was previously convicted of fraud in 2019 after scamming New York socialites out of $200,000 by pretending to be a rich heiress named 'Anna Delvey' in a five-year scheme.

After serving nearly four years of her four-to-12 year sentence, Sorokin was released from jail in February 2021, and went about returning to her previous life of luxury by renting a swank apartment in Chelsea.

Weeks later, after bragging in a TV interview that 'crime pays, in a way' she was arrested by immigration agents for allegedly overstaying her visa and has been in ICE custody at the Orange County Correctional Facility in Goshen, New York ever since. 

Sorokin tried to apply for asylum in the United States - but her plea was denied - and she faces being deported to Germany. 

Her lawyers have launched a series of appeals in an attempt to stop her from being deported.

On Thursday night, art dealer Chris Martine, who organized Sorokin's exhibition, told Page Six: 'It wasn't easy getting anything in or out of ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement].

'Most of the art materials and paper were declined/confiscated. The only materials we got in were some colored pencils, and 9x12 watercolor paper.. No erasers.

'She relied heavily on her jail pens and jail pencils which are essentially dull rubber writing instruments.

'Somehow she was able to make exceptional, heavily detailed sketches with zero indication of a single mistake or smudge. Incredibly astonishing.'

He went on: 'The total valuation of the collection will be set in the $400-500k range.'

Martine, who represents the inmate through the advisory firm Founders Art Club, added: 'We have received extensive interest already from art dealers, collectors and galleries.'

Before Sorokin appeared on the live-stream video, her lawyer Duncan Levin said that the fraudster's art is 'incredible art', adding that 'her talent is dripping'.

Speaking in front of a small crowd on Thursday night, Levin said of Sorokin: 'She's choosing to fight her deportation, she's choosing to fight her underlying criminal conviction and she's choosing to appeal her conviction. 

'She is going to be on momentarily, we are just having a bit of technical difficulty. Please understand it has been, not only to get this video link on but also to get this incredible art she has done here, her talent is dripping. I just want to on her behalf, thanks so much for being here.'

Levin then shouted 'Free Anna' a few times but was met with some cheers - with most of the room remaining silent.

Earlier on Thursday, Sorokin claimed to have founded her own law firm from her prison cell.

Despite having no legal training, and still being held at a correctional facility, Delvey announced her new law firm Delvey & Daughters - 'Double D' for short - in a public statement on Thursday.

The firm is payable through Dogecoin and can be reached through 1-800-BETTER-CALL-ANNA, a play on the Breaking Bad spinoff series Better Call Saul which chronicles a crooked attorney.

While Sorokins's law firm announcement is clearly as fake as her German heiress claims, it appears to be a dig at her legal representation. 

In her statement, she admits that 'jail is not a great look for a lawyer but... it merely means I have more time to focus on solving my clients' issues as opposed to waiting time on pointless dinners and small talk.'

In fact, her current attorney, Manny Arora, seemed stunned and a little frustrated by the revelation when reached by DailyMail.com.

She told us that she had not been informed of Sorokin's apparent new career ambitions and that it was 'impossible' for her to found a law firm. 

Delvey released the statement to Business Insider reporter Jacob Shamsian, who covered her criminal trial in 2019.

'Today I am so very excited to launch my own legal practice: Delvey & Daughters, PLLC, or short 'Double D' Warning: Highly Litigious,' she said. 

'I'm now available to litigate any dispute, no matter how big or small, a-z you name it, I got it. Full-spectrum legal coverage from someone who's been there before.'

In her statement, Sorokin actually pointed to her criminal history as a selling point for her qualifications as an attorney.

'Some may say that being in jail is not a great look for a lawyer but I'm once again expecting to prove my detractors terribly wrong- it merely means I have more time to focus on solving my clients' issues as opposed to waiting time on pointless dinners and small talk the rest of the world is subjected to on (a) daily basis,' she said.

Sorokin touted her free unlimited access to the Lexis Nexis - a database for public and legal records - at the 'courtesy of the state of NY' - where she is being held in prison.

She also said that anyone can pay for her services exclusively through the cryptocurrency Dogecoin.   

Sorokin has been held at the Orange County Correctional Facility since March 2021 for overstaying her visa.