Out CAC me....(ongoing)

[Lexx Diamond]

Denver doctor in federal custody after being arrested on child pornography charges
POSTED 2:54 PM, MARCH 26, 2019, BYERIC RUBLE,UPDATED AT 10:07PM, MARCH 26, 2019

• • 

DENVER -- A Denver doctor was charged with transportation of child pornography, the U.S. attorney for the district of Colorado announced Tuesday.

The U.S. attorney's office worked with the FBI's Denver Division to arrest 31-year-old Justin Bowen Neisler. He was taken into custody without incident on March 13.

Through a search warrant, the FBI learned from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that someone using an IP address associated with Neisler's physical address uploaded sexually explicit videos and/or photos of children onto social media.

Neisler was arrested after a search of his Cherry Creek apartment. A search-and-seizure warrant shows authorities found several cameras and digital storage devices in Neisler's unit and confiscated them.

"The investigation is ongoing into the alleged offense and other federal criminal child exploitation offenses, including the production of child pornography," a statement from the U.S. attorney's office said.

Neisler has been licensed to practice medicine in Colorado and Georgia since 2016. According to the U.S. attorney's office, Neisler has been affiliated with Centura Health and HCA-HealthONE. He practiced family medicine.

According to Centura Health, Neisler worked at the Family Residency Program at St. Anthony North Family Medicine 84th Clinic in Westminster. Centura said Neisler was terminated when the company learned of his arrest.

The U.S. attorney's office said that if Neisler is convicted, he faces between five and 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Neisler will remain detained while awaiting further legal proceedings.

Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to call 303-629-7171 (ext. 1) or emaildenvermd@fbi.gov.

Centura Health sent FOX31 and Channel 2 the following statement shortly after this story was published Tuesday afternoon:

"We are deeply disturbed and saddened that one of our former physicians in our Family Residency Program at St. Anthony North Family Medicine 84th Clinic, Dr. Justin Neisler, has been charged with crimes related to transportation of child pornography. Upon learning of his arrest by the FBI, his employment was terminated. We are troubled by these allegations which are in stark contrast to our mission and core values. There is simply no place for any behavior that exploits children in our community, or for any individual that circumvents the systems and processes we have in place to ensure their safety. Since the first notification from the FBI, we have been working with law enforcement, so they can conduct a thorough criminal investigation. Due to the stage of the FBI’s ongoing criminal investigation we have been provided very limited information to date. The health and safety of our patients is our number one priority and we are focused at this time on notifying all patients who may have interacted with this former resident. We have also engaged a third-party to conduct a thorough review of the systems and processes in all our graduate medical education programs. We know there are many questions about law enforcement’s investigation, and therefore refer you to the FBI for any additional questions. Anyone having information relevant to this investigation is encouraged to contact the FBI by sending an email to DENVERMD@FBI.GOV or by calling 303-629-7171 x 1."

https://kdvr.com/2019/03/26/denver-doctor-charged-with-transportation-of-child-pornography/

 

[Lexx Diamond]

2 Florida men accused of plotting to groom and rape a 3-year-old girl
POSTED 8:29 AM, FEBRUARY 10, 2019, BY TRIBUNE MEDIA WIRE

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VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Two men have been arrested after police discovered a series of text messages in which they discussed plansto groom and rape a 3-year-old girlin Florida.

Lafe Best, 37, was arrested Tuesday and is in the Volusia County Branch Jail without bond. He is charged with conspiracy to commit sexual battery on a child.

He was arrested in connection to a different case involving his friend and sexual partner, Benjamin Worster, 39, according to aFacebook postfrom the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

Worster was arrested in January on charges of lewd or lascivious molestation, lewd or lascivious conduct and 21 counts of possession of child pornography.

Police began investigating Worster after discovering a series of text messages on Worster’s phone which he had exchanged with Best. The messages detailed their plan to groom and rape a 3-year-old girl.

The messages were first discovered by the girl’s mother, according to police.

The 3-year-old and her mother moved into Worster’s apartment in December. Police said on Facebook that soon after, the 3-year-old told her mother Worster had touched her.

On Dec. 17, Worster was taken to a hospital after an apparent overdose, police said. The 3-year-old’s mother found Worster’s phone lying on his bed and discovered the text messages.

Police included a portion of the text messages in their Facebook post to demonstrate “how predators work to groom young children for sexual abuse.”

Detectives executed a search warrant at Best’s residence Tuesday and discovered what appeared to be child pornography on his cellphone, in addition to the graphic texts exchanged with Worster.

Police said they expect Best will face additional charges.

Best was living in a home with two people who have a 20-month-old child. Police do not believe the 20-month-old was a victim of any abuse at this time.

https://kdvr.com/2019/03/26/denver-doctor-charged-with-transportation-of-child-pornography/

 

[Lexx Diamond]

North Carolina day school worker arrested in child pornography case; victims ages 2-3
POSTED 1:28 PM, APRIL 6, 2019, BY TRIBUNE MEDIA WIRE

GREENSBORO, N.C. — A woman was charged Friday with indecent liberties in a child pornography investigation while she was working at a Greensboro church's day school, Homeland Security Investigations reports.

Alyson Brooke Saunders, 23, who worked at Fellowship Presbyterian Church's Fellowship Day School in Greensboro, was arrested Friday morning and charged with six counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, two counts of sex offense on a child by an adult, four counts of indecent liberties with a child and two counts of crimes against nature.

She is being held under a $1 million bond.

The photos and videos depict indecent liberties against child victims between the ages of 2 and 3, according to warrants. The abuse allegedly happened at the daycare, some of it on a changing room table.

The crimes against nature charge involved a dog.

The details of all incidents are too graphic to report.

Saunders allegedly forwarded the images to someone in Great Britain.

Fellowship Day School operates both pre-school and after-school programs.

Saunders was terminated from the school after her arrest Friday.

Saunders' name was brought into the case when Homeland Security Investigations in London arrested a person on child pornography charges overseas and learned the suspect had communicated with Saunders over the internet.

HSI London then contacted HSI Winston-Salem in February.

Special agents reached out to Saunders, who agreed to a consensual interview and allowed agents to preview her electronic media.

In March, she admitted to exploiting and producing pornography of minor children, Homeland Security reports.

Forensic analysis confirmed she produced and disseminated child pornography, according to HSI.

School officials said they had performed a background check on Saunders before hiring her, and that the background check did not show any reason for concern.

Saunders had worked at the school for over five years without any concerns or red flags being raised, prior to March 7, school officials said.

Parents of all students were informed in a general meeting March 8, school officials said. The Session (the governing body of the church) was informed March 9.

Jeffrey Weber, an attorney representing families who have children who were supervised by Saunders at Fellowship Day School, said Friday, "Those parents I represent who entrusted their children to the care of Alyson Saunders are relieved by the arrest of Ms. Saunders. The parents hope this will lead to a more open response from the school and church following her arrest. There are many questions related to Ms. Saunders and her involvement with a pornographic ring, perhaps at an international level, as well as the extent to which children entrusted to her care were exploited. "

Fellowship Day School released the following statement on Friday:

We at the Fellowship Day School are committed to full transparency with the families as we deal with the situation that first came to light on March 7, 2019. The only limits on this commitment are: 1. Protecting the privacy of the families whose children were involved; and 2. Avoiding interference with the criminal investigation. At this point, we do not have much additional information, but we want to provide this update in any event.

To the best of our knowledge, the criminal investigation by the federal Department of Homeland Security and the State Bureau of Investigation is ongoing. We do not have any new details about where that process stands. Our understanding is that investigators in matters like this tend to keep details confidential while the investigation is going on. For example, no one at the School knows any details about the photos other than what one parent (of one of the children) described at the March 8 parents’ meeting. Melissa Mitchell, the School’s Executive Director, is the only person associated with the School who knows the names of the five children, and that information is being kept in strict confidence.

As far as we know, the investigation still relates to only the same five children and the same one employee. We do not have any information or belief that any other children or any additional employees were involved.

A few people have asked whether the School is withholding information for some reason. Except for the names of the children, the answer is no. If you believe that there is information that the investigators need to know, please contact the lead investigator, Special Agent Cook.

We have been asked by many people why the employee has not been arrested. We do not know and we don’t have any more information about that question than anyone else (other than the investigators) has.

To our knowledge, Special Agent Charles Cook remains the lead investigator for this matter.

As soon as we learn additional information, we will provide another update to everyone. The only limits are the same two as always: protecting the privacy of the families and cooperating with the criminal investigators.

A few additional things;

1. This situation has been reported to Child Protective Services. We are not sure that this was required, since federal and state investigators are already involved, but we provided this notice just in case. Our notice did not provide the names of the children involved but we will provide this if requested by CPS.

2. Fellowship Presbyterian Church, which operates the Day School, has appointed a Task Force whose job is to look at the security that was already in place at the time of the incidents, consider further security measures, and act as a point of contact with the investigators and Bob King. Bob is an Elder at the Church and is an experienced attorney who has helped other organizations respond to crises. Bob is helping the Church and School understand and coordinate with the investigators. Bob is not charging for his time.

3. If you have suggestions for the Task Force, please email them to Tom **** at *****. Tom is the Chair of the Task Force.

4. As most people already know, the employee at issue is related to the Assistant Executive Director at the School. The Assistant Director is as shocked and heart-broken as everyone else at the School, plus she is dealing with the impact of this on her family. For the Assistant Director’s sake and to avoid any concerns as to appearance, she is not involved in communications with the investigators or with the Task Force.

5. The School has investigated the availability of counseling services for any parent or child who may want this. The list of Greensboro-area counselors who may be of assistance is attached.

Last, we ask for everyone’s continued prayers. The Day School is a non-profit operation that exists solely to help children and their families. Please know that Pastor Nancy Dederer is available for conversation and that our congregation continues to uphold our Day School children, families, and staff in prayer. Grace and peace,

Saunders is scheduled to be in court April 9 at 8:30 a.m.

https://kdvr.com/2019/04/06/north-c...d-in-child-pornography-case-victims-ages-2-3/

 

[Casca]

 

[mailboxpimp]

 

[Casca]

 

[Casca]

turn on sound

 

[Curtwalk]

turn on sound

This dude is like a bizarro Peyton Manning

 

[Lexx Diamond]

 

[Lexx Diamond]

Email
Deer kills man, injures woman near Wangaratta in north-east Victoria
Updated April 17, 2019 20:37:42


Photo: Paul and Mandi McDonald were attacked by the stag on Wednesday morning. (Facebook)
Related Story: Booming deer population causing widespread damage
Map: Moyhu 3732

A pet deer has attacked and killed a man and seriously injured his wife in Victoria's north-east.

Key points:

• The man died from his injuries shortly after the attack
• The woman was flown to Melbourne with serious upper body and leg injuries
• Police killed the pet stag at the scene

Paul McDonald, 47, had gone out to feed the animal on the property at Moyhu, south of Wangaratta, when the deer attacked him about 8:20am.

His wife, Mandi McDonald, was then attacked when she tried to help her husband.

The ABC has been told the couple's teenage son hit the deer with a lump of wood to save his mother.

The couple suffered critical injuries and Mr McDonald died a short time later.

His wife was airlifted to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne where she was in a critical condition on Wednesday night.

Ambulance Victoria said she had suffered upper body and leg injuries.


Photo: The deer was killed by police. (Facebook)


'Very traumatised'
Acting Senior Sergeant Paul Pursell described it as an "absolute tragedy".

He said a local ambulance officer treated the couple at the scene but the man's injuries were fatal.

He said the family was "very traumatized".

"The family are just devastated. There is a large family network and the [people] we've spoken to… it's beyond words how affected they are by this incident."

The couple's son and daughter have travelled to Melbourne to be with their mother in hospital.

"Moyhu is a small community … the people who are involved in the incident are well known to them, so what we're looking at putting in place are some opportunities for counselling for community members," Acting Senior Sergeant Pursell said.

He said the deer was a cross between a red deer and an elk, known as a wapiti.

The family had kept the stag for six years and it was the only deer living on the property, along with a small number of sheep.

Local resident Patrice Larkin said she knew the couple well.

"They'd come in the shop every second or third day. We had the Moyhu general store for 12-and-a-half years," she said.

"When we heard, you just can't believe it. A deer. Their pet deer. You just can't believe it."

Describing Mr McDonald, she said: "He's a bit of a character, you could have a good laugh with him, a bit of fun.

"I can't even imagine when this all sinks in … we just happened to be behind the property near them and it was six ambulances, a helicopter, police. We didn't know what was happening."


Photo: The family had kept the stag at their Moyhu property for six years. (ABC News: Ashlee Aldridge)


Steve Garlick, the chairman of the deer management committee at the Australian Deer Association, said it was very unusual for a deer to kill a person.

"Deer are much less likely to attack anyone than they are to run away from them," he said.

"The majority of encounters most people will have with deer is with deer fleeing in the opposite direction."

Police officers shot and killed the stag at the scene due to "concerns for the paramedic's safety on scene".

Police will prepare a report for the coroner.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04...cally-injuries-woman-near-wangaratta/11024706

 

[Tiger_Hood]

 

[mailboxpimp]

Email
Deer kills man, injures woman near Wangaratta in north-east Victoria
Updated April 17, 2019 20:37:42


Photo: Paul and Mandi McDonald were attacked by the stag on Wednesday morning. (Facebook)
Related Story: Booming deer population causing widespread damage
Map: Moyhu 3732

A pet deer has attacked and killed a man and seriously injured his wife in Victoria's north-east.

Key points:

• The man died from his injuries shortly after the attack
• The woman was flown to Melbourne with serious upper body and leg injuries
• Police killed the pet stag at the scene

Paul McDonald, 47, had gone out to feed the animal on the property at Moyhu, south of Wangaratta, when the deer attacked him about 8:20am.

His wife, Mandi McDonald, was then attacked when she tried to help her husband.

The ABC has been told the couple's teenage son hit the deer with a lump of wood to save his mother.

The couple suffered critical injuries and Mr McDonald died a short time later.

His wife was airlifted to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne where she was in a critical condition on Wednesday night.

Ambulance Victoria said she had suffered upper body and leg injuries.


Photo: The deer was killed by police. (Facebook)


'Very traumatised'
Acting Senior Sergeant Paul Pursell described it as an "absolute tragedy".

He said a local ambulance officer treated the couple at the scene but the man's injuries were fatal.

He said the family was "very traumatized".

"The family are just devastated. There is a large family network and the [people] we've spoken to… it's beyond words how affected they are by this incident."

The couple's son and daughter have travelled to Melbourne to be with their mother in hospital.

"Moyhu is a small community … the people who are involved in the incident are well known to them, so what we're looking at putting in place are some opportunities for counselling for community members," Acting Senior Sergeant Pursell said.

He said the deer was a cross between a red deer and an elk, known as a wapiti.

The family had kept the stag for six years and it was the only deer living on the property, along with a small number of sheep.

Local resident Patrice Larkin said she knew the couple well.

"They'd come in the shop every second or third day. We had the Moyhu general store for 12-and-a-half years," she said.

"When we heard, you just can't believe it. A deer. Their pet deer. You just can't believe it."

Describing Mr McDonald, she said: "He's a bit of a character, you could have a good laugh with him, a bit of fun.

"I can't even imagine when this all sinks in … we just happened to be behind the property near them and it was six ambulances, a helicopter, police. We didn't know what was happening."


Photo: The family had kept the stag at their Moyhu property for six years. (ABC News: Ashlee Aldridge)


Steve Garlick, the chairman of the deer management committee at the Australian Deer Association, said it was very unusual for a deer to kill a person.

"Deer are much less likely to attack anyone than they are to run away from them," he said.

"The majority of encounters most people will have with deer is with deer fleeing in the opposite direction."

Police officers shot and killed the stag at the scene due to "concerns for the paramedic's safety on scene".

Police will prepare a report for the coroner.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04...cally-injuries-woman-near-wangaratta/11024706

Wtf??? White people do the dumbest shit ever. A pet deer

How do you come to believe you & the deer have a relationship

This is why that elephant did what he did.... he knew what it was.... nip that shit in the bud & let dem lil niggaahz do what they do. Bet they wont try that shit again said the elephant.

They sent a clear message...... you dnt fuck around in that park!!! Dnt come in the park with bad intentions..... we can read ya mind & heart! After you get dropped somebody will arrive shortly after to eat you It dnt matter if you dead or alive. You shouldnt have come here on that bullshit.

The deer saw the shit on the news..... mufukka said we gotta keep a united front!!!! He jigged the cac on some prison beef shit. Mufukka wait for the piglice to show up knowing they gonna let'em go.... mufukka wont even be in custody for 24 hrs * he gonna get a solid check up.

 

[Casca]

And that is how you get black lung!!!

 

[Casca]

 

[Helico-pterFunk]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...r-driver-knocks-ground-rains-punches-him.html

 

[Lexx Diamond]

When your life is so safe and protected you can endanger it for fun...

 

[Lexx Diamond]

California couple convicted of imprisoning, torturing 13 children get life in prison
News
By

• Ann Smajstrla, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

RIVERSIDE, CALIF. —
The California couple who pleaded guilty to holding captive and torturing their children have been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

​

Two of David and Louise Turpin’s 13 children read victim impact statements at their parents' sentencing Friday.

"I cannot describe in words what we went through growing up,” the son said, according to ABC News. “Sometimes I still have nightmares of things that had happened, such as my siblings being chained up or getting beaten. But that is the past and this is now."

The son gave insight into how his life has changed since he and his siblings were rescued from captivity last year.

"I live in an apartment and go to a nearby college. I am getting a bachelor's degree in software engineering, and after I get my bachelor's degree I'm going to get a job as a software engineer and go to school part-time to get my master's degree,” he said.

A daughter, identified as Jane Doe Number 4, also spoke.

"Now I'm taking my life back," she said. "I'm a fighter. I'm strong and I'm shooting through life like a rocket."


The siblings were rescued in January 2018 from their Perris home, after one of the daughters managed to escape the home with a cellphone and call 911, according to previous Cox Media Group reports. At the time, they ranged in age from 2 to 29.

Law enforcement officers responded to the home to find some of the children “shackled to their beds with chains and padlocks in dark and foul-smelling surroundings,” the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. Responding officers described the siblings as “malnourished and very dirty” when they were found.

Prosecutors said the children were often denied showers, medical care and food. None of them had seen a doctor in more than four years, prosecutors said, and none of them had ever visited a dentist.

David Turpin, 57, and Louise Turpin, 50, pleaded guilty in February to charges that included torture, adult abuse and child endangerment.

Each parent spoke before the sentences were handed down. David Turpin became visibly shaken as he began to read his statement, so a lawyer read it for him, CNN reported.

"I never intended for any harm to come to my children. I'm sorry if I've done anything to cause them harm,” David Turpin’s statement said. “I love my children and believe my children love me. I hope the very best for my children in the future."

Louise Turpin said, in part, “I'm sorry for everything I've done to hurt my children. I love my children so much ... .I look forward to the day I can see them, hug them, and tell them I'm sorry."

Lawyer Jack Osborn told reporters after the sentencing that the siblings are well on the road to recovery.

"They want to be normal adults -- going to Target, going to baseball games," he said. "We are confident -- given what they've been through and how resilient that they are -- that they're going to be really successful."

https://www.ajc.com/news/national/c...ldren-get-life-prison/EfMLe0vQaU3LW7d43q2gnJ/

 

[Helico-pterFunk]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowb...ing-national-anthem-Stanley-Cup-Playoffs.html

 

[Helico-pterFunk]

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Gavin+degraw+fall

 

[Helico-pterFunk]

Risking It: Dude Almost Fell To His Death While Setting A Slacklining World Record! (Rewind)
132,485 578

 

[Lexx Diamond]

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[Lexx Diamond]

 

[Lexx Diamond]

Took Too Much: Guy High On Drugs Mistakes His Keys For His ID!

​

 

[Helico-pterFunk]

 

[Helico-pterFunk]

Well Damn: Man Sees "Captain Marvel" Movie 116 Times To Set A Record!

 

[Lexx Diamond]

 

[Casca]

 

[Lexx Diamond]

When life is so safe and you are so well protected that putting yourself in danger is fun and exiting!

 

[Casca]

 

[Lexx Diamond]

 

[Lexx Diamond]

​

For weeks, the woman noticed that strange and inexplicable things kept happening in her skinny, chimney-topped house on the north side of Pittsburgh.



A toilet seat was left up, even though she lived alone with her two daughters and hadn’t had any male visitors. A blanket that she owned, gray with satin trim, turned up in a dark corner of her unfinished basement, where no one ever went.

“I knew that blanket had not been there before,” the 37-year-old told WPXI. “I knew it.”



Then, she heard the noise.

It was just before noon on Saturday, and she was downstairs cleaning her kitchen. Her kids weren’t home, and, at first, she thought the sound had come from her cat bumping around upstairs. But when she went to check what was going on, she discovered that her worst fears had come true.

According to authorities, Cary Cocuzzi, the woman’s ex-boyfriend, was waiting in her bedroom. Almost a month earlier, she had gotten a protection-from-abuse order that barred him from having any contact with her, and she hadn’t heard or seen from him since. But as it turned out, Cocuzzi, 31, hadn’t gone away.

Cary Michael Cocuzzi. Instead, he had spent weeks hiding in her attic, lurking overheard while she and her daughters slept, authorities say.

"I feel like this is going to affect me for the rest of my life,” the woman, who asked not to be identified, told WPXI. “I had an intuition about it but I ignored it, I brushed it aside. I didn’t want to seem paranoid. You never think this will happen to you, but I should have trusted my instincts because I was right.”

The woman told police that when she got upstairs, Cocuzzi suddenly jumped out at her from behind her bedroom door, startling her. She was terrified because he had tried to sexually assault her in the past, she said. He grabbed her by the arms and placed one hand over her mouth.

“Get over here,” he told her, according to the criminal complaint.

Flailing her arms, the woman broke free and ran downstairs. Cocuzzi chased after her and grabbed her again, the complaint says, but she pushed him away and escaped outside. Soon, 911 dispatchers’ phones were lighting up with calls from neighbors, telling them that there was a woman screaming.

When officers arrived, they found Cocuzzi hiding under a pile of clothing. He told them that he had been sleeping in the attic for about two weeks because he “was tired of being homeless and wanted a place to stay,” the affidavit says.

Though he didn’t have a key to the house, he had discovered that he could sneak in and out through a side door that didn’t face the street.

The woman told WPXI that she thought Cocuzzi had been staying there even longer. For three weeks, she said, small things that had been left out of place, like the upturned toilet seat, made her wonder.

“I just thought, gosh, is this guy in my house?” she told the station. “This is strange.”

Discovering her blanket in the basement left her feeling particularly unsettled. But she shrugged it off, thinking that she would sound ridiculous if she told authorities.

“What could I do?” she said. “I already had the [protective order] against him, and I can’t call the police and say, ‘There’s a blanket in my basement.’”

Police haven’t said what circumstances initially led the woman to request the restraining order, which was finalized on March 25. However, authorities noted in the criminal complaint that she was “extremely afraid” of Cocuzzi and had been visibly upset, and needed time to gather herself after they arrived at her house.

Speaking to WPXI, she said that she felt incredibly violated by the whole experience and was afraid of what would happen when he got out of jail. The one thing she was thankful for, she said, was that her daughters weren’t home when he lunged at her.

“Who knows what could’ve happened?” she said.

Cocuzzi, who does not appear to have a previous criminal record in Pennsylvania, has been charged with burglary, a felony, and unlawful restraint, a misdemeanor that applies in cases where a person “restrains another unlawfully in circumstances exposing him to risk of serious bodily injury.”

He is being held in the Allegheny County Jail in advance of a May 2 preliminary hearing in Pittsburgh Municipal Court. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime...ks-police-say/ar-BBWh0u5?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=iehp

 

[Lexx Diamond]

Anna Sorokin is found GUILTY: Fake German heiress who swindled $275K from friends and turned her trial into a fashion show is convicted on seven counts of fraud and faces 15-years in jail

• New York jury found Anna Sorokin guilty on Thursday after three-week trial
• Sorokin was convicted of grand larceny and theft of services charges
• Prosecutors said Sorokin swindled friends, banks and hotels out of $275,000 in a 10-month odyssey prior to her October 2017 arrest
• She was accused of peddling bogus bank statements in her quest for a $22 million loan for a private arts club
• Sorokin, known as Anna Delvey back then, claimed to be a wealthy German heiress with a $60 million fortune in Europe
• Her attorney said Sorokin was merely 'buying time' and intended to pay back the friends and banks

By Emily Crane and Jennifer Smith For Dailymail.com

Published: 19:13 EDT, 25 April 2019 | Updated: 20:35 EDT, 25 April 2019

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A New York jury has convicted fake German heiress Anna Sorokin of swindling tens of thousands of dollars from banks, hotels and friends.

Jurors returned a guilty verdict Thursday following a month-long trial that attracted international attention.

Sorokin was convicted of three counts of grand larceny and four counts of theft of services. She's to be sentenced May 9 and faces up to 15 years behind bars.

The one-time darling of the Big Apple has been on trial for the past month on grand larceny and theft of services charges after swindling friends, banks and hotels out of $275,000 in a 10-month odyssey.

[img id="i-306fc8016e96989b" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/04/26/00/12730002-6928417-image-a-17_1556234212285.jpg" alt="Sorokin leaves the courtroom during jury deliberations in her trial at New York State Supreme Court, in New York on Thursday" class="blkBorder img-share" width="634" height="423">
Sorokin leaves the courtroom during jury deliberations in her trial at New York State Supreme Court, in New York on Thursday

Sorokin claimed to be a German heiress and swindled friends, banks and hotels out of $275,000 in a 10-month odyssey. She is seen in court on Thursday


Anna Sorokin returns to the courtroom after the jury sent a note on Thursday in New York. She was found guilty of grand larceny and theft of services charges

Anna Sorokin and her attorney Todd Spodek listen to the jury foreman during the announcement of the verdict in her trial at New York State Supreme Court on Thursday


Anna Sorokin reacts after the announcement of the guilty verdict in her trial at New York State Supreme Court on Thursday in New York


Court officers escort Anna Sorokin following the announcement of the verdict in her trial at New York State Supreme Court on Thursday

Sorokin is led out of the court in handcuffs after a jury found her guilty on all counts


She will remain in custody until her May 9 sentencing, and faces up to 15 years in prison


'As proven at trial, Anna Sorokin committed real white-collar felonies over the course of her lengthy masquerade,' said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R Vance Jr in a statement.

'I thank the jury for its service in this complex trial, as well as my Office's prosecutors and investigators for their meticulous investigation and resolve to ensure that Sorokin faces real justice for her many thefts and lies,' Vance said.

Prosecutors said Sorokin lived in luxury New York hotel rooms that she couldn't afford, promised a friend an all-expenses trip to Morocco and then stiffed her with the $62,000 bill and peddled bogus bank statements in her quest for a $22 million loan for a private arts club.

During closing arguments on Tuesday, prosecutors portrayed Sorokin as a profligate con artist, while her lawyer insisted she was an aspiring businesswoman taken in by New York's extravagance.

Her defense attorney, Todd Spodek, insisted Sorokin had been 'buying time' and planned all along to settle her six-figure debts, portraying her as an entrepreneur who got in over her head. He compared her at one point to Frank Sinatra, saying 'they both created their own opportunities' in New York.

'There's a little bit of Anna in all of us,' Spodek said. 'This is the life she chose to live.'

Sorokin had ambitious business plans to build a private arts club in New York and that she was 'persistent and she was determined to make her business a reality', according to her attorney.


She may have led an unethical and unorthodox lifestyle, he added, but Sorokin was 'enabled every step of the way by a system that favors people with money.'

In trying to prove Sorokin's intent, Assistant District Attorney Catherine McCaw said Sorokin told 'lie after lie' to prolong a life of luxury she couldn't afford, providing forged financial records and identifications to banks.

She lived out of ritzy hotels on an overdrawn account, dined at the finest restaurants and even hired a personal trainer who charged $300 a session, McCaw said.

Sorokin not only assumed a different identity for herself but created a team of 'imaginary' assistants, McCaw said, a ruse that lent credence to her efforts to expand her credit. There was, for instance, an accountant who didn't exist whom Sorokin blamed for delays in wire transfers.

'All of the defendant's wire transfers are merely a figment of her imagination,' McCaw said.

'These are not white lies. These are lies that help you understand that the defendant, in fact, had criminal intent in this case.'

Sorokin, in court on Thursday prior to hearing the verdict, turned her trial into a fashion parade, and had to be admonished by the judge for fussing over her apparel

The one-time darling of the Big Apple has been on trial for the past month on grand larceny and theft of services charges after swindling friends, banks and hotels out of $275,000 in a 10-month odyssey

Sorokin, who adopted the name Anna Delvey, deceived friends and financial institutions alike into believing she had a 60 million euro wealth overseas that would cover her lavish hotel stays and jet-setting lifestyle.

Many believed she was the German heiress she claimed to be given she traveled in celebrity circles and tossed around crisp $100 bills.

But behind the jet-setting lifestyle and expensive designer clothing, prosecutors said Sorokin was simply a fraudster just trying to get a taste of the high life.

There's a little bit of Anna in all of us. This is the life she chose to live.
Anna's attorney Todd Spodeck
Sorokin was born in Russia in 1991 and moved to Germany in 2007 when she was 16 with her younger brother and parents.

Her father had worked as a truck driver and later as an executive at a transport company until it became insolvent in 2013. He then opened a heating-and-cooling business specializing in energy-efficient devices.

After moving to London to attend Central Saint Martins fashion school, Sorokin returned to Berlin and interned in the fashion department of a public relations firm.

She then relocated to Paris where she secured a coveted internship at the French fashion magazine Purple. It's believed to be around this time that she changed her name from Sorokin to Delvey.

Becoming a darling of the New York social scene: How she climbed her way to the top

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Sorokin was already brushing shoulders with rich people in the years before she came to New York and started dazzling Manhattan's social elite.

Acquaintances say Sorokin had spent several years playing the part of an art-obsessed German heiress across the world.


Sorokin was already brushing shoulders with rich people in the years before she came to New York and started dazzling Manhattan's social elite

She rubbed shoulders with the fashion elite at Paris Fashion Week as early as 2013 and was frequently spotted at London nightspots like the Chiltern Firehouse and Loulou's.

Those who knew of her recalled seeing her at a party in Berlin in 2015 during which Sorokin told guests she had just flown in on a private jet.

As a result of her internship at Purple in Paris, some noted that she appeared to be close friends with its editor-in-chief Oliver Zahm.

By the time Sorokin arrived in New York in early 2016, she seemingly had the social connections to make a name for herself, as well as a designer-clad wardrobe that exuded wealth.

At the time, she had 40,000 followers on Instagram and was regularly pictured at events and parties with well-to-do people.

She quickly went about proving herself to be an impossibly rich heiress who had plans to shake up New York's art world.

She made a show of proving she belonged and would regularly be decked out in her now signature Celine glasses, Gucci sandals and high-end buys from Net-a-Porter and Elyse Walker.

Sorokin rented a $400-a-night room for several months at Manhattan's expensive 11 Howard hotel. Concierges at the hotel - including Neff Davis who she would later become friends with - were gobsmacked when Sorokin would pass out $100 tips to them and Uber drivers.

She would also splash out on shopping sprees in luxury boutiques, expensive personal training sessions and beautician appointments.

The socialite elite were drawn to her and she would regularly host large dinners for celebrities, artists , CEOs and the like at the lavish Le Coucou restaurant in SoHo.


By the time Sorokin arrived in New York in early 2016, she seemingly had the social connections to make a name for herself, as well as a designer-clad wardrobe that exuded wealth

Sorokin gave varying accounts of where her wealth actually came from, according to her acquaintances. She told some that her father was a Russian oil billionaire. Others were under the impression that her parents were high up in the German solar energy business

At one such dinner, Sorokin's concierge friend Neff Davis said she was star struck to find herself sitting next to Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin.

She also once hired a PR firm to organize her birthday party at Sadelle's in SoHo. It would later emerged that she never paid the bill. It is unclear what the cost of the party was in the end.

During her stay at Howard 11, Sorokin struck up a friendship with Davis when she arrived at the concierge desk asking for recommendations for the best food in SoHo.

In an interview with The Cut last year, Davis recalled one instance during their friendship where they went for dinner at SoHo's Sant Ambroeus. Davis said she was forced to pay the $286 bill when Sorokin's 12 credit cards declined.

'The waiter went back to his station and began entering the numbers. There were like 12, and I know the guy tried them all,' she said. 'He was trying it and then shaking his head. And then I started to sweat, because I knew the bill was mine.'

She said Sorokin paid her back triple the amount in cash the following day.

Another friend, Rachel Deloache Williams, testified during Sorokin's trial that she was under the impression she was a German solar panel heiress.

Williams, who also wrote about her ordeal in Vanity Fair where she worked as a photo editor, said they had met in February 2016 and were friends for 18 months.

She said Delvey often paid for the pair to go to infared saunas in the East Village and they also dined together and worked out with celebrity trainer Kacy Duke, which Sorokin also paid for.

When she arrived in New York in 2016, she quickly went about proving herself to be an impossibly rich heiress who had plans to shake up New York's art world

German solar energy heiress or a Russian oil billionaire's daughter: Where did her 'wealth' come from?
Sorokin gave varying accounts of where her wealth supposedly came from, according to her acquaintances.

She told some that her father was a Russian oil billionaire or a diplomat to Russia. Others were under the impression that her parents were high up in the solar energy business.

In reality Sorokin did not have a cent to her name, according to prosecutors. Her father is a former truck driver in Russia who now runs a heating and cooling business.

Sorokin managed to avoid suspicion among her wealthy friends in New York for months.

People around her say they didn't even think twice when she asked them to put taxi fares and plane tickets on their credit cards. She would often blame her situation on issues with moving her assets across from Europe. Associates recall laughing it off as forgetfulness - because she was so rich - when they had to hound her to pay them back.

As she continued to ingratiate herself into the New York socialite scene, Sorokin started talking about her plans to build her dream project – a multi-million private arts club that she thought about calling the Anna Delvey Foundation.

It would be an arts foundation that would include exhibitions, installations, pop-up shops, bars and restaurants.

She compared the project to the SoHo house members' club empire and said she planned to open branches in London, Los Angeles, Dubai and Hong Kong.

Bogus bank statements showing a $60m fortune and depositing fake checks: How she managed to scam
Sorokin kept up the heiress ruse when she went looking for a $22 million loan to fund her new club in November 2016.

She said the loan would be secured by a letter of credit from UBS in Switzerland and showed what prosecutors say were bogus bank statements that purported to substantiate the $67 million in assets she claimed to have.

Spencer Garfield, a banker at the private equity fund Fortress, testified during her trial that Sorokin's loan was rejected because she couldn't produce proof of her fortune.

Her attorney argued in court that one of the firm's executives had sent Sorokin dozens of proactive texts, telling her she was 'beautiful inside and out', that he was 'forcing myself not to kiss you' and asking to come up to her hotel room.

People around her say they didn't even think twice when she asked them to put taxi fares and plane tickets on their credit cards. She would often blame her situation on issues with moving her assets across from Europe

As she continued to ingratiate herself into the New York socialite scene, Sorokin started talking about her plans to build her dream project – a multi-million private arts club that she thought about calling the Anna Delvey Foundation

HOW ANNA MANAGED TO SECURE MONEY:
Sorokin sought a $22 million loan from Fortress Investment Group in 2017 to fund her arts club after showing the private equity firm fake documents claiming she had a 60 million euro fortune.

They said they would consider it if she put up $100,000 for them to do due diligence, which is basically a background check of her financial records.

She managed to get a $100,000 from a different bank, City National, by convincing them to give her an overdraft that she promised to repay within days.

Sorokin then gave the $100,000 to Fortress.

They spent $45,000 of it carrying out their financial review before Sorokin asked for $55,000 back, claiming she no longer needed their services.

She never repaid City National. Instead, she allegedly managed to spend the entire $55,000 within a month to fund her lavish lifestyle.

She also resorted to depositing bad checks and transferring funds out before they bounced - a process called check kiting.

This is how she got the $30,000 to pay 11 Howard via a wire transfer.

Between April 7 and April 11, she deposited $160,000 in bad checks into her Citibank account and transferred $70,000 out before they bounced.

In August, she opened a different account with a different bank, Signature, deposited $15,000 in bad checks and withdrew $8,200 before they bounced.

Prosecutors said Sorokin ended up bailing on another firm when it pressured her for a meeting with a UBS banker who could verify her assets.

Another New York banker testified that Sorokin seemed to 'speak the language' of the financial world during her attempt to obtain a multimillion-dollar loan.

Ryan Salem of City National Bank told the court that his bank denied a request to finance the private arts club Sorokin proposed building.

Salem said the financial statements she provided in support of the loan just 'didn't add up.'

'We always believed that she had money,' he said. 'She seemed to speak the language. She understood the financial jargon that you need to know to interact and transact in this environment.'

Despite a host of red flags, City National still agreed to lend Sorokin $100,000 in an overdraft that she promised to repay within days.

Sorokin sought this $100,000 after Fortress agreed to consider her loan request if she provided the funds for them to do due diligence, which is basically a background check of her financial records.

She gave the $100,000 to Fortress and they spent $45,000 of it carrying out their financial review. Sorokin then asked for the remaining $55,000 back, claiming she no longer needed their services.

She never repaid City National. Instead, she allegedly managed to spend the entire $55,000 within a month to fund her lavish lifestyle.

Between April 7 and April 11 in 2017, prosecutors said Sorokin deposited $160,000 in bad checks into her Citibank account and transferred $70,000 before the checks could bounce.

In August, prosecutors said Sorokin opened a bank account with Signature Bank and deposited $15,000 of bad checks into the account. She withdrew about $8,200 in cash before the checks were returned.

Her fall from grace: The $30,000 in hotel charges and a $62,000 Morocco trip she couldn't pay for
Sorokin's fall from grace seemingly started to unravel when she was kicked out of the 11 Howard hotel.

Her friend Neff, who worked at the hotel, was contacted by a manager at 11 Howard in early 2017 to say they didn't have a credit card on file to pay for Sorokin's lengthy stay.

At that point, Sorokin had racked up $30,000 in charges at the hotel.

When the hotel pressed her for payment, Sorokin told them a wire transfer was on the way and then proceeded to order a case of 1975 Dom Perignon for the staff.

Citibank eventually did send the wire transfer for the full $30,000 amount, which prosecutors said she paid for using money from bad checks.

But the hotel still locked Sorokin out of her hotel room in May 2017 while she was away on a trip to Nebraska because she couldn't provide a working credit card.

Sorokin had chartered a private plane that cost $35,400 to and from the Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting in Omaha, Nebraska so she could try and meet billionaire Warren Buffet.

She boasted to friends that she got into a dinner party and spoke to the billionaire herself.

The bill for the charter company, which is popular among New York's elite who use it to fly to and from the Hamptons and Miami, never got paid.

A spokesman for Fly Blade said it made an exception for Sorokin because international payments can sometimes take time to come through. In Sorokin's case, she had assured them with doctored confirmation of payment.

'For the flight in question, we received oral confirmation of the funds transfer with routing numbers and all relevant and verifiable account information. This was followed by receipt of a PDF of a Deutsche Bank wire confirmation which Deutsche Bank later determined was doctored,' a spokesman told DailyMail.com.

When Sorokin did not pay, they canceled the return leg of her trip. The jet was also already en-route to Los Angeles, they said, so 'the cost of stopping in Omaha was de minimus'.

Friend, Rachel Deloache Williams, who wrote about her ordeal with Anna in Vanity Fair, went with Sorokin on the Morocco trip. When Sorokin's credit cards declined, Williams was forced to put the $62,000 trip on her work card

During cross examination last week, Sorokin's attorney questioned her former friend Williams about how she didn't see the red flags other had raised about his client's wealth. He suggested that Williams had turned a blind eye because she was a beneficiary of Sorokin's generosity

Upon her return to New York, she was evicted by police from the 11 Howard hotel.

She moved her luggage to the Mercer hotel just around the corner and then immediately embarked on a $62,000 extravagant trip to Morocco that she had promised two friends that same month.

Williams - the Vanity Fair photo editor - was among those invited on the all-expense paid trip, as well as Sorokin's personal trainer Kacy Duke and a videographer to document the trip 'for fun'.

Sorokin had told her friends she needed to leave the country to allow her tourist ESTA visa to renew.

The flights were paid for by Williams on her work credit card and she assumed Sorokin would reimburse her since she had claimed she would foot the bill for the lavish vacation.

They checked into a $7,000-a-night villa at the five star resort La Mamounia.

The six-day trip was without hiccups for several days until the hotel staff insisted on putting a credit card on file because Sorokin had booked their trip without a working one.

Many believed Anna was the German heiress she claimed to be given she traveled in celebrity circles and tossed around crisp $100 bills

Williams, who said she had $410 in her checking account at the time, was forced to hand her credit card over. The balance was more than she earned in a year.

Sorokin had promised to pay her back $70,000 when they returned to New York.

But after months of hassling her for the money, Williams said she reported Sorokin to police and then the New York district attorney's office.

After returning from Morocco and having been kicked out of the 11 Howard, Sorokin had checked into the Beekman Hotel. She told Williams that the Mercer - where she had dropped her bags before leaving on the trip - had since booked out.

She was subsequently locked out of her room at the Beekman after just 20 days when the hotel realized they didn't have a working credit card on file and she had racked up $11,500 in charges.

Sorokin then checked into W Hotel downtown for two nights but met a similar fate.

She then asked her trainer and Williams if she could sleep on their couches.

Sorokin was arrested in October 2017 for stealing $275,000 through multiple scams between November 2016 and August 2017.

It emerged last week during the trial that Sorokin's friend Williams had helped set up her arrest.

Williams, with the help of the NYPD, had arranged a lunch with Sorokin in Los Angeles so the fake socialite could be taken into custody.

Sorokin has always denied the 16 charges filed against her, including grand theft and larceny.

Her attorney Todd Spodek has claimed his client never intended to commit a crime and she had always intended to pay back the money she owed.

He told jurors during the opening statements of her trial that Sorokin was exploiting a system that was 'easily seduced by glamour and glitz' after she saw how the appearance of wealth opened doors.

Spodek argued that Sorokin was just trying to buy time so she could launch her business and repay the debts.

'Anna had to fake it until she could make it,' her attorney said.

Following her arrest in October 2017, Sorokin made several brief court appearances looking a world away from the German heiress she claimed to be. When her trial started on March 27, Sorokin's fashion choices drastically changed

During cross examination last week, Sorokin's attorney questioned her former friend Williams about how she didn't see the red flags other had raised about his client's wealth.

He suggested that Williams had turned a blind eye because she was a beneficiary of Sorokin's generosity.

'This is the most traumatic thing I've ever been through,' Williams said tearfully during the trial. 'I wish I had never met Anna. If I could go back in time and not be where I am today, you bet I would.'

During the trial, Williams told jurors that she was paid $1,300 for the Vanity Fair article and she has sold her story to HBO and publishing company Simon & Schuster. She stands to make about $635,000 if the deals go through.

Netflix or HBO? Hollywood's fight for Sorokin's story
Almost as quickly as Sorokin was arrested, producers and screenwriters were clambering to secure the rights to her story.

There are two productions in the works: a Netflix series produced by Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes and a dueling HBO series by Lena Dunham.

Sorokin, who has been jailed at Rikers since her arrest, is said to be thrilled about the interest, according to friends.

Neff Davis (above), who met Sorokin when she was a concierge at the 11 Howard, said Anna wants Jennifer Lawrence or Margot Robbie to play her in a Netflix or HBO series

'She's like, Okay, as long as Jennifer Lawrence or Margot Robbie play me,' Neff Davis, a former hotel receptionist described as Sorokin's 'only remaining friend', told Paper magazine last year.

She was aghast that there were rumors Lindsay Lohan was being considered, Davis said.

'Oh my god, no offense, but isn't she like 30? My hair's not even red anymore, did you tell them that,' Davis claimed Sorokin told her during one conversation about it.

'She really, really wants Margot Robbie.

'She just watched I, Tonya in Rikers and thinks Margot is bada**. I'm sure Margot Robbie would kill it,' Davis added.

Neither Robbie nor Lawrence has signed on to any project.

During her trial, she was lambasted by Justice Diane Kiesel for seeming to care more about the productions than the trial.

'She seems more concerned about who is going to play her in the movie than what she's done to the people she allegedly took advantage of,' Kiesel said of Sorokin.

'This is not a fashion show': How her trial became a catwalk of designer clothing
Sorokin was also scolded by the judge multiple times during the trial for delaying proceedings because she wasn't happy with her outfit choices and treating the trial like a 'fashion show'.

She turned heads on each day of her trial thanks to her choice of designer clothing - but the choice infuriated the judge and ended with Sorokin in tears.

During one court appearance, Sorokin refused to come out of her holding cell dressed in her prison uniform. The hearing was delayed when her attorney handed the judge a bag with a weeks worth of clothing, which then had to be checked by security.

Sorokin (pictured on Tuesday) was also scolded by the judge multiple times during the trial for delaying proceedings because she wasn't happy with her outfit choices and treating the trial like a 'fashion show'

On the first day of her trial, Sorokin stepped into the courtroom dressed in her usual Celine glasses, a sleek, low cut black Michael Kors dress and a black choker

Sorokin donned this white sheer Zara dress on Wednesday as the jury continued to deliberate in her case


'This is the last day we're playing with clothes,' a furious Judge Diane Kiesel said.

Sorokin eventually emerged in a court appointed outfit because she didn't like what the attorney had picked. She wept and had to be consoled by her attorney when the judge scolded her courtroom antics.

'I've had a jury here since 9.30 this morning,' the judge told her. 'This is unacceptable and inappropriate... This is not a fashion show.'

The one-time darling of the New York social scene and her attorney Todd Spodek had enlisted the services of a stylist for her courtroom appearances.

Stylist Anastasia Walker - who has worked with the likes of Courtney Love, T-Pain and G-Eazy - quickly started dressing her in Yves Saint Laurent, Michael Kors and Victoria Beckham.

On the first day of her trial, Sorokin stepped into the courtroom dressed in her usual Celine glasses, a sleek, low cut black Michael Kors dress and a black choker.

The following day she stepped out in a sheer black Yves Saint Laurent blouse and Victoria Beckham pants.

She opted for two black mini-dresses and black tights last week, as well as black pants with various beige, black and white blouses.

Sorokin dared to wear a snakeskin mini-dress on Monday as she declined to testify. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Sorokin opted for a cream lace dress that skimmed her thighs and a white sheer Zara dress.

During one court appearance on April 3, Sorokin refused to come out of her holding cell dressed in her prison uniform. She eventually emerged in a court appointed outfit and cried when she sat down

Sorokin dared to wear the snakeskin print mini-dress on Monday as she declined to testify and both sides rested their cases in the fraud trial

Her attorneys had tried to get her into stilettos for the trial but the Department of Corrections deemed them to be too dangerous. Instead, Sorokin has been wearing the same pair of black ballet flats throughout the trial.

An Instagram account was quick to pop up titled AnnaDelveyCourtLooks that has been documenting her daily outfits during the high-profile trial.

Her style, while on trial for fraud, has been described by onlookers as 'iconic' and 'mysterious chic'.

Sorokin's stylist said it was intentional and each outfit has been well planned.

Walker said she opted for monochrome pieces because they are timeless – and that needed to be the case because Sorokin's photos were likely to appear in various media outlets.

Another factor that weighed on Walker was that Sorokin's courtroom style could affect how she is portrayed in the possible Netflix and HBO series about her.

'I really tried to focus on classic silhouettes and classic pieces in general,' Walker told Elle Magazine.

'(The all black) is mysterious chic, and although it's getting a lot of media attention, this is still her real life. People have made comments that she doesn't tale life seriously, but to me black is just a strong and powerful color. It's serious.'

Walker said she became connected to Sorokin through a mutual friend, Neff Davis – the hotel concierge at the 11 Howard hotel and one of Sorokin's only remaining friends.

'I couldn't show her photographs, but as people interested in fashion, we spoke in references about the themes she wanted to come through. I selected some timeless pieces, given that everything is so public today and (trial) photographs can be saved, potentially forever,' Walker said.

The stylist sent Sorokin several pieces of borrowed clothing from designers including Saint Laurent, Victoria Beckham, Michael Kors and Chloe.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...an-heiress-Anna-Sorokin-GUILTY-swindling.html

 

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