Convicted con artist Anna Delvey says her journey to the final season of “Dancing With the Stars” took an extra step.

The con artist and fashionista, who inspired the Netflix series “Inventing Anna” and was convicted in 2019 on eight felonies including aggravated robbery, said she sought permission from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement before traveling from New York to Los Angeles to film the long-running ABC celebrity competition. Delvey (born Anna Sorokin) will be one of 13 stars vying for the newest Mirror Ball trophy when “DWTS” returns later this month.

“I was kind of talked into it. I got clearance from ICE and then it was kind of too late to back out,” Delvey told the Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, shortly after her casting was announced.

Delvey, 33, was released from prison in February 2021 and was taken into custody by ICE months later after immigration authorities said she had overstayed her visa and needed to return to her native Germany. In October 2022, a judge ruled that Delvey could remain home while she appealed her deportation case. Delvey was also ordered to wear an ankle monitor.

Today, the monitor is Delvey’s ballroom accessory.

When “DWTS” revealed its full lineup, it described Delvey in a press release as a “notorious anklet fashionista,” who will be teaming up with pro Ezra Sosa. Delvey’s “DWTS” cast photo shows her in a gold sequined dress and ballroom shoes with her anklet hanging just above her right foot.

Con artist Anna Delvey, who inspired Netflix’s “Inventing Anna,” will star in Season 33 of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.”

(Andrew Eccles / Disney)

When asked if the ankle bracelet would affect her movements, Delvey assured THR that “it’s actually quite lightweight.”

Before her debut on “DWTS,” Delvey faced widespread criticism on social media for her casting. Some fans on a Reddit page dedicated to “DWTS” questioned Delvey’s “star” status, citing her scamming people and companies out of $275,000. Other fans joked, “this is iconic.”

“It’s just not that serious,” Delvey told People of the backlash. “If someone is that upset about being cast on a dance show, I don’t know what to tell them.”

Olympians Ilona Maher and Stephen Nedoroscik, “Bachelorette” star Jenn Tran, Dwight Howard, Tori Spelling and Phaedra Parks are also among the newest celebrity dance competitors.

Season 33 of “Dancing With the Stars,” hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough, premieres September 17 on ABC.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.