One of the most talented swindlers in Paris, Alexander Stavissky, was born in 1886 in Kyiv, on Sapernaya Slobodka. Even in his early youth, Alexander came into conflict with the law. By 1917, Stavissky already had three convictions behind him - he was accused of stealing dental gold from his father and forging business cards. In 1920, the Stavissky family, fleeing pogroms, wars and revolutions, moved to Paris. Since childhood, Alexander had an excellent command of French and was taught manners. Contemporaries wrote that Stavissky distributed checks to deputies and ministers carelessly, like roses. He entered high society. He deliberately gave bribes to politicians, creating a powerful “cover” for himself and his future scams. He acted as an expert on Russian affairs at international conferences and advised the French foreign policy department. But no one knew where Stavissky got his money...