“Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down," declares the LORD. – Obadiah 1:4
Born to working-class parents in the Soviet Union, Anna Sorokin emigrated from Russia to Germany with her family in 2007. In 2011, she left Germany to live in London and Paris before relocating to New York City in 2013, where she interned for the French fashion magazine Purple. Sorokin conceived of a private members' club and arts foundation, which included leasing a large building to feature pop-up shops and exhibitions by notable artists she met while interning. She later created fake financial documents to substantiate her claims of having a multimillion-euro trust fund and forged multiple wire transfer confirmations. Sorokin used these documents, as well as fraudulent checks, to trick banks, acquaintances, and realtors into paying out cash and granting large loans without collateral. She used this to fund her lavish lifestyle, including residencies in multiple upper-class hotels. Between 2013 and 2017, Sorokin defrauded and deceived major financial institutions, banks, hotels, and individuals for a total of $275,000.
In 2017, the NYPD arrested Sorokin in a sting operation with the help of her former friend, Rachel DeLoache Williams, whom Sorokin had defrauded of $57,000. In 2019, Sorokin was convicted in a New York state court of attempted grand larceny, larceny in the second degree, and theft of services, and was sentenced to 4 to 12 years in prison.
Why did she do all of this? She foolishly wanted to become famous. Why didn’t the rich and famous, which she conned, report her earlier? Their foolish pride didn't want to admit that Sorokin had taken them in.
Foolish pride will bring about our fall. Today in prayer, confess any sin of pride in your life and humble yourself before the Lord.
“A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.” – C.S. Lewis
God’s Word: “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” – Proverbs 11:2
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