Anna Sorokin, who was convicted in 2019 for multiple counts of fraud and grand larceny theft for swindling banks, hotels, and New York City elites, will be one of the cast members competing in the ABC dance competition program “Dancing with the Stars” (DWTS), according to a news release.
Sorokin is best known as the fake German heiress who called herself “Anna Delvey” and for Netflix’s miniseries adaptation of her story “Inventing Anna.” In the announcement on Wednesday, she was described as the “notorious ankle bracelet fashionista” and will be paired with professional dancer Ezra Sosa.
The 33-year-old is set to appear in the show’s 33rd season, which has a star-studded cast that includes model Brooks Nader, professional athletes such as former 2-time Super Bowl winner Danny Amendola, retired 8-time NBA all-star Dwight Howard, 2-time Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik, and Olympic rugby union player Ilona Maher.
Sorokin was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison but was released in February 2021 after three years behind bars. Soon after, she was taken into custody on March 25 by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as her visa had expired and she was required to return to her native country, Germany. After being in ICE custody for more than a year, a judge allowed her to go on house arrest, and she was required to wear an ankle bracelet from October 2022.
Sorokin’s representative, Juda Engelmayer, said her house arrest conditions state that she is allowed to travel within 70 miles of her home base and anywhere in the five boroughs of New York City, but she cannot discuss any changes to the rules.
Before being cast in DWTS, Sorokin started a podcast called “The Anna Delvey Show,” which covers a wide range of topics such as fashion, law, finance, and art and will bypass the idea of what is right and wrong, according to the podcast’s bio.
Multiple TV and film actors signed on for this season’s competition, including “Beverly Hills, 90210” actress Tori Spelling, Chandler Kinney, “Real Housewives of Atlanta” Phaedra Parks, and actors Eric Roberts and Reginald VelJohnson.
Viewers will see season 28’s “The Bachelor” star Joey Graziadei compete against a familiar face. Jenn Tran was featured in Graziadei’s season as a potential love interest before being cast as the first Asian-American leading lady in this year’s season of “The Bachelorette.”
The new season will debut on Sept. 17 on ABC and Disney+. Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough will co-host the series.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.