Since ABC unveiled the cast, the announcement has quickly become a trending topic. Viewers are buzzing with excitement over new additions like “The Bachelorette” icon Joey Graziadei and former NFL player Danny Amendola.
However, not all the reactions have been positive. One contestant, in particular, has sparked controversy—con artist and fraudster Anna Delvey. Many are questioning how she will participate in the show while under house arrest. Here’s her explanation.
How did Anna Delvey join ‘Dancing with the Stars’ despite being under house arrest?
As “Dancing with the Stars” gears up for its return to streaming services and TV channels, one contestant is sparking significant debate: Anna Delvey, despite her controversial criminal history, has been included in the cast.
Born Anna Sorokin, she is a Russian con artist who gained infamy for posing as a wealthy German heiress in New York City between 2013 and 2017. During this time, she scammed banks, hotels, and individuals out of hundreds of thousands of dollars by pretending to have a vast fortune.
In April 2019, Sorokin was convicted on eight counts, including second-degree grand larceny and theft of services, and sentenced to 4 to 12 years in prison. After serving nearly four years, she was released in February 2021 for good behavior but was then detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for overstaying her visa. In October 2022, she was released from ICE detention but remains under house arrest with electronic monitoring.
So, how did she manage to join the spectacle? In an interview with People, Sorokin revealed that she personally handled the paperwork to request permission to participate. “Well, Dancing with the Stars approached my team and I had to request ICE for permission to travel out of state because its being filmed in Los Angeles and I’m based in New York. By the time I got the approval, it was very close to the starting day so I kind of flew to LA pretty much the next day and I just decided why not?”
The primary condition set by the authorities was that she must wear her ankle monitor at all times. Sorokin assured that the device is light and won’t challenge her ability to dance. When asked about the criticism her participation might generate, she responded, “It’s just not that serious. If someone is that upset about casting on a dancing show, I don’t know what to tell them.”