Stavisky, Serge (1886–1934)

SERGE Stavisky (also known as Serge Alexander) was a French confidence man of diverse talents. His criminal activities spanned decades and culminated in a notorious political scandal known as the Stavisky Affair. This event triggered the downfall of[Page 765] Camille Chautemps' government in 1934 and had long-term repercussions for the political stability of France.

Stavisky's family left the Ukraine for France in 1899. His aptitude for deceit emerged when he was in his early teens. Stavisky refined and tested his skills to prey on the confidence and trust of others by creating illusory business ventures and soliciting capital investment from friends and clients. It was a recurrent theme throughout his life—profit through misrepresentation.

Stavisky's criminal enterprises took him and his partners into the worlds of entertainment, journalism, ...