One of the most talented con men in Paris, Alexander Stavissky, was born in 1886 in Kyiv, in Saperna Slobidka. Even in his early youth, Alexander got into conflict with the law. By 1917, Stavissky already had three convictions—he was accused of stealing his father’s dental gold and of forging calling cards. In 1920 the Stavisskys’ family, fleeing pogroms, wars, and revolutions, moved to Paris. Alexander had an excellent command of French from childhood and was trained in manners. Contemporaries wrote that Stavissky handed out cheques to deputies and ministers carelessly, like roses. He entered high society. He specifically gave bribes to politicians, creating a powerful “roof” for himself and for his future swindles. He served as an expert on Russian affairs at international conferences and advised the French foreign office. But no one knew where Stavissky’s money came from…