Convicted con artist Anna Sorokin appears on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ wearing a glowing electronic ankle bracelet

Los Angeles — Convicted con artist Anna Sorokin burst onto the dance floor of “Dancing With the Stars” wearing a lightweight, high-gloss electronic bracelet.

The so-called “false heiress”, who was convicted of defrauding banks, hotels and friends in 2019 After falsely building a reputation as a wealthy German heiress named Anna Delvey, she debuted a ballroom-worthy electronic bracelet on Tuesday night’s season premiere of “Dancing With the Stars.”

“It’s actually not a big deal. It’s pretty light and I asked them to tighten it so it doesn’t hang down. So it’s not that big of a deal,” she told The Associated Press after the premiere. She and professional dancer Ezra Sosa performed a routine to Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.”

“It’s the real star of the show, let’s be honest,” Sosa said of Sorokin’s dazzling electronic bracelet.

“I find it kind of funny how people like it — it’s not like an ankle weight,” Sosa said. “It’s not like 20 pounds. It’s literally less than a pound and it’s not a big deal.”

Sorokin acknowledged that his debut did not go as planned.

“I’m relieved it’s over,” she said. “I feel like my dancing could have been a little better, but I’m happy I did it and it was a great experience.”

Sorokin said she hopes viewers will be somewhat forgiving despite his criminal background.

“I hope people will give me a chance to show what I can do. I’ve served my time and I’ve paid my debt,” she said.

Early fan reviews were not positive, with the phrase “Anna Delvey’s disappointing DWTS debut” among those trending on social media site X.

While she was released from prison in February 2021Immigration authorities arrested her shortly after her release, saying she had overstayed her visa and should be sent back to her native Germany. The inspiration for “Inventing Anna” was detained by ICE for more than a year before a judge got her way. paved the way for his move to home confinement in October 2022 as she fights her deportation.

His release conditions had to be changed to allow him to travel from New York to Los Angeles for filming.

While confined at home, Sorokin also became involved in a podcast And reality tv show.