Anna Delvey Is Known for Stealing Much More Than 'DWTS' Viewers' Hearts

The Dancing With the Stars Season 33 cast is nothing if not unexpected. From Bachelor bros to Olympic athletes, the varied guests of this season are determined to impress, and that includes known scammer Anna Delvey (real name Anna Sorokin).

If you're not familiar, Anna is a convicted fraudster and faux royal who gained fame through conning high-profile targets out of thousands of dollars worth of luxury hotel stays, designer clothing, and cold, hard cash.

Now, if the word "convicted" has you hung up, don't fret — though she's supposed to be on 24/7 house arrest, she received clearance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to participate in the show. Thank goodness!

And now that she's made her ballroom debut, folks are interested in learning more about her schemes. So, how much did Anna actually steal?

Cunning con artist Anna Sorokin first gained national attention through Netflix's 2022 docu-series Inventing Anna, which depicted her time in New York City posing as a wealthy German socialite by the name of Anna Delvey. Over the years, she was able to defraud not only several wealthy and prominent figures in her social circle, but also a handful of banks and hotels.

The fake heiress often used fake credit cards and fake bank statements to create an illusion of being independently wealthy. She also created the "Anna Delvey Foundation," an imaginary (and creatively named) art foundation and private organization that allowed her to steal more money from donors and investors.

Through expensive flights, designer clothes, luxury hotel stays, and more, all of which she never paid a dime for, Anna is believed to have swindled her way into a total of $275,000.

If you're confused as to why Dancing With the Stars has tapped a convicted scammer to appear on their show as a "star," you're not alone. The announcement that Anna would be participating in Season 33 of the reality series was met with a variety of reactions, from confusion to downright anger.

In response to her posts about appearing on the show, longtime fans of the series have shared their discontent with the decision to invite her on.

"I have been a fan for so long, I could almost be a judge myself," one person on Instagram said. "This time, I am judging the show and the contestant. Anyone wearing an ankle monitor should not be allowed to compete. No."

Another wrote, "This is so tacky and screams desperation. SURELY there is another star that could’ve been on this season instead of her."

And viewers aren't the only ones disappointed — in fact, several celebrities have expressed their disappointment and disbelief at her appearance on the show.

Several hosts of The View made their feelings known on an episode of the talk show in early September: "I think back to all the families who've had family members arrested by ICE, who have gone to the courts to get their dad, or their brother, or their mother back, and this woman, they gave her permission to go do this," Whoopi Goldberg said.

"When are there consequences to people's actions?" Sunny Hostin added.