Original subtitles

A NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY SERIES

Wakey wakey!

Wake up!

If you stay asleep,

you'll miss out on Wanna Marchi's amazing offers!

Asciè was founded

around May 1996.

ASCIÈ PRESENTS

Asciè Limited.

is looking for offices in Milan

of at least 300 square meters.

The Master has more work than ever, so he needs more employees,

so we need more room.

The Wanna Marchi show was back in business.

Who will be so lucky to get their personalized numbers?

They're the smart ones. The others are a bunch of idiots. Go!

Go! And don't stop. Ever!

If you're joining Wanna and Stefania Marchi

and the Great Master of Life, do Nascimento, late...

-Where were you? -Where are you?

-I used to know a little guy... -Who?

I've not seen him for a long time.

He claimed to be a marquis, and so on...

Capra de Carrè was somewhat stunned.

If the marquis is in front of the TV,

she'll come right out.

-Ah, yes, the marquise! -She's there, right?

In the end, what did he do?

His company was working well.

It was a money-making machine, it produced business,

it had relaunched Wanna Marchi and her daughter and do Nascimento,

who was lucky enough to work for him already.

Overnight, they turned their backs on him and left.

And he was out for revenge.

-We like an aristocracy. -She's watching us.

-Yes, it's very classy. -Yes, it's very classy.

He wasn't the kind of man to roll with the punches

and just say, "Oh well, that's how it is." No.

The one person who hurt me the most in life?

Attilio Capra de Carrè.

I had a great mentor in my life who got me into a lot of trouble

and caused a lot of problems, but he also taught me a lot.

He taught me that you should wish your enemies a long life.

Because if they die, they can't see you succeed.

You know I'm talking about you, don't you?

Look at me, right in the eyes.

I'm gathering information.

As soon as I know where you are,

I'm coming to you in person to give you the final stroke.

The story I was told is that one day,

in a very heated meeting,

he took a stick and tried to hit Stefania on the head with it.

They had a very strong relationship,

almost paternal.

I've never done this in my life. Now I bow before hatred.

The impression that I had of Capra de Carrè

was that he was able to manage any situation.

He was also the kind of man who, when he felt his trust had been betrayed,

took it very hard.

"I am the master. I am in charge!

And everyone else must just shut up!"

I think that when Wanna Marchi left Capra de Carrè,

she didn't really understand

the connections that he had, the power that he had.

Attilio Capra is a man who handles a lot of money.

Where this money comes from isn't really clear.

Over the course of his life, Attilio Capra

would often add extra bits to his surname.

"Attilio Capra Daniele," then "Di Niele,"

then "de Carrè" and at that point "marquis" too.

A financial expert once told me, or speculated,

that he had done it

so it was harder to trace him

in tax and financial investigations.

Attilio Capra was like a human interface, a middleman.

On one hand, he had some dark connections

with people linked to organized crime.

On the other, he had links with the rich and famous and politics.

The names of members of the P2, the powerful masonic lodge,

have been released tonight...

It's no coincidence that,

when the lists of the members of the secret masonic lodge P2

were discovered in Castiglion Fibocchi in 1981,

Attilio Capra's name was there.

So, what did he do?

He turned to... Or maybe others turned to him,

and eventually they did... everything they did to us.

Among all the things that the Marquis Capra de Carrè did,

there were countless complaints

to the revenue authority, the Financial Police...

But they didn't find anything illegal or criminal or fraudulent.

Nothing.

The people who have to monitor what Wanna Marchi says,

what Stefania Marchi says...

Those who watch what they do copy what they say,

check that they abide by the law...

We don't know exactly where Capra de Carrè went.

Did he go to the prosecutor's office too?

I'm absolutely convinced.

Maybe he somehow let Striscia have that information?

-Okay? -Okay?

But he was very active.

Why does nobody talk about him?

I'd say that the outcome of that

is one of the big mysteries of this story.

We worked with him for years. He disappeared.

I've been searching for images of Capra de Carrè online for years.

There aren't any. None. Probably not even a tombstone.

Understanding who Capra de Carrè was...

is difficult.

Or it's very simple.

I'm not going to say it.

I've had too many charges pressed against me,

and I don't want any more. Understand?

Did you ever ask yourselves if what you did was fair?

Once, I said, "I don't feel comfortable with this."

I was new and I said I'd never be able to do it.

-To tell people they were jinxed? -To tell ... Yes.

And how did Wanna Marchi respond?

She said that, basically,

if someone calls and they believe in these things,

that's their problem.

I would like to make an announcement.

We are looking for people to work here.

I said "work"!

Give us a call and we'll give you a job with us.

In 1998, I was 22.

A friend told me that they were looking for telephone operators at his work.

He was working for Wanna Marchi.

So I had an interview.

To be honest, I just signed this contract to work for them

as a phone operator.

We're looking for staff who wash

and who want to work.

Every day, people arrive

then after three hours, we realize that

they are so dirty, smelly, and rotten that they look like rotten corpses!

The most important thing in our work was the collaborators

because, clearly, we were...

the bait.

We're looking for phone staff

because our shows go live throughout the day.

So, we used our image to receive phone calls.

We worked at a big oval table

with around 20 workstations. We were all young people.

For a couple of hours a day, mid-morning, Stefania and Wanna would join us.

There was tension when they were there

because they would listen to people's calls.

And sometimes they weren't

the nicest.

I get it!

-I get it. -We're live.

My apologies.

What should I do? Kill myself?

I don't know, should I kill myself?

Sod off!

For the first few weeks,

I worked at the far end of the table,

far from the secretary

and Wanna's seat

where the action was.

I answered the calls from the people who wanted

the lottery numbers.

I want the Great Master of Life, do Nascimento, next to me

because he makes you win money, and he has these powers.

He sends you the lucky numbers

and he can enter you if he wants...

I used to wake up early in the morning because we would do...

the first live broadcast,

and then we'd record three or four more shows.

So, I always need my assistants next to me

because I work through them.

You can't say, "I want the Master" to ask for the lucky numbers. No.

For those, you just need to give your full name,

date of birth, place of birth, the color of your eyes,

your time of birth, and that's it.

He will pick the numbers for you.

I certainly can't. I don't have the power. All right?

We wanted 80,000 liras for the numbers.

At some point, I only saw it once,

there was this board...

On it, there was a sort of ranking of the phone operators.

I was shocked because I saw very high figures.

One million, two million.

Very high figures.

Well, not everyone who buys scratch cards

or buys a lottery ticket wins.

Not everyone wins with the do Nascimento method. But people did.

The people who didn't win would call back.

The phone calls went like this.

The many customers who clearly hadn't won the lottery with the numbers

called back to complain that the numbers didn't come up.

What was the phone operator supposed to do?

We had to say

that this proved there was something negative in their life,

and that's why the numbers didn't come up.

Then we offered them a card reading by the Master

to try to identify what was wrong.

So, through the phone operators, do Nascimento

would read the cards,

tell them that they needed an amulet, so you made a second or a third sale.

The phone operators had to understand how far they could push it,

how much the customer was willing to pay,

and would end the call promising to send the amulet

or something to the customer.

This was part of the game. It was a chain of sales.

Let's see.

It's marketing.

I'll talk with the gentleman in private later.

I'll teach him a couple of things and send him something.

Sir!

The crazy thing was that people believed us.

Ladies and gentlemen, I wanted to show you the ring

that the Great Master of Life, do Nascimento, gave me. Look at it.

I want you to see. Do you like it?

We made a lot of money. We were a powerhouse.

We made 12, 15 billion a month.

It was crazy. It was so much money.

So much.

Well, since you're bragging about yours, I want to show mine.

Let's see.

-This, my dears, is a nice showcase. -Classy!

You'd say that we lost control,

but it's not true. There are people I know today

with a small business who own a private jet.

We could have had a fleet of jets if we wanted to.

In those years, I set up in Spain too.

Ladies and gentlemen, live from Madrid. I will take a short break

because I just heard the doorbell.

I think the Master has arrived.

See you later! Keep calling!

In Spain, business was going well too.

SLIMMING CREAM

So, the success that we, or do Nascimento,

had in those years on TV

wasn't from the products.

Come on, don't be silly.

Don't be silly. Come here.

-Hello, girls! How are you? Good morning! -You there?

Good morning.

The success came from what do Nascimento said.

What does "lucky numbers" mean?

I find the lucky numbers.

It's something that has been going on in Brazil for years.

Mario do Nascimento was 29, I think,

when he came to Italy from Brazil.

He was the son of a cook in Bahia.

But there's more.

In San Salvador di Bahia,

a woman called Esmeralda was born

and she inherited from her ancestors the ability to find lucky numbers.

Because do Nascimento's grandmother, Esmeralda,

was a Candomblé priestess.

It was like he had this power, this kit,

like a gateway to the supernatural.

It's white magic. It's black magic.

It's a world that this guy who's just arrived from Brazil belongs to

and that he brought to Italy and adapted for Italians.

It was perfect when they started the new business.

Do Nascimento was perfect, as he brought this light exotic touch.

You know, my husband Francesco says

he now has another son, a darker-skinned one,

-The Master of Life, do Nascimento? -Yes?

His family is far away, and so we adopted him.

His mom is far away, you know...

Thanks to Asciè, my life got better.

I treated myself to a tower house that I bought in Candelo.

I saw it. I liked it. It was something I wanted.

I could afford to bring my mom and my brother to my house in Italy.

Everyone here!

-Come, Giorgio! -Come, Sara!

At some point, he became a celebrity.

This was before social media.

People would stop him for an autograph

like they did with us.

Your life becomes public.

You lose your privacy.

And this bothered me.

I went out only to go to work.

I spent more and more time at home

exploring my friendship with Wanna.

And now, the Great Master of Life, do Nascimento!

Good morning!

And very slowly, I got to Stefania.

Go, chiquita! Dance!

He'd call at 5:00 a.m. "Let's go to Riccione."

I'd call him at 3:00 a.m. "Let's go out." "Yes."

It would rain and he'd say, "Let's go splash people!"

And we'd go out in the car.

We joked around a lot like we were in a comedy film.

Stefania became like a sister.

A friend, a confidante.

We'd always laugh, sing.

I really liked... I like Iva Zanicchi.

Take this hand, gypsy

High-five!

He became my best friend. We were inseparable.

People thought we were a couple.

What a perfect shape. What a flawless body.

We were never actually a couple

because of our sexual orientations, but that is not an issue.

However, there was one thing about him

that should have warned me.

He knew everything about my private life, but I didn't know about his.

He kept us well away from his private life.

There was always a part of him that he just kept to himself.

Did you know about everything that was going on, as a friend would?

No. There were things we didn't know.

We're adults and you do what... Right?

I can't make decisions

regarding someone else's actions or desires.

You know?

I never pretended to be psychic. I never impersonated a psychic.

They called because they wanted card readings,

consultations, or lucky numbers,

or they asked for the amulet or whatever.

They wanted this from Master do Nascimento,

not Wanna Marchi and not Stefania Nobile.

I'd never say Great Master of Life, do Nascimento,

is a psychic because he's not a psychic.

-He's more... -I hate the word "psychic."

He's an amazing person

who can do amazing things.

He is able to bring businesses back to health.

So, let's start with Luciana.

She wants to open her own shop.

Next year.

He can reconcile families.

So, Claudio from Turin is unhappy

because his wife left him a few months ago.

His wife won't come back.

He can do incredible things.

The Master didn't come every day.

I can't remember a single call that he managed himself

or that he took part in and handled personally.

The Master's role was all

in the heads of the callers.

When Wanna Marchi realized that the slimming creams and the algae

were no longer working

to hook people in,

she had to find something new.

I was surprised because

for me, Wanna Marchi was a great TV saleswoman.

Period.

Then, she went into magic...

I don't agree with it.

I don't agree because people watching TV

weren't all Einsteins.

Wanna Marchi is a charlatan? Is that how you want it? Fine.

I couldn't care less because I am Wanna Marchi.

Who are you? I don't know you.

I always liked selling cosmetics. Of course I did.

I was born with cosmetics.

You know, with magic...

With magic...

Book your money ritual now!

To take part in the love ritual...

The Afè ritual.

The coral ritual.

I should say that I don't know why I did it.

I can't really answer that

because, really, I don't know why.

Would I do it again? Would I not do it again?

Maybe I was challenging myself. What can I say?

I'd sell you too because I've had enough of you already.

Get it?

What we say is the truth!

Whoever contributed to the demise of their empire

and the bursting of their bubble,

whoever questioned the Marchi fairy tale,

became not an enemy, but worse.

If you don't call, you're idiots.

For them, you become scum, trash.

Just yesterday I spoke to a lady on the phone,

poor idiot,

who said...

"Tell the Master..." Sorry, I'm quite irritable.

"Tell the Master that, 'I only won 54 million.'

What good is that?"

Do you know what I told her?

I, Wanna Marchi, spelled with a W,

I said,

"I hope you'll have to spend it all on medical bills."

I've always wondered where their strength came from,

other than natural talent and instinct.

It takes more than talent to be Wanna Marchi. It takes recklessness,

courage.

It takes audacity and a complete...

disdain for danger.

-We set the trends. -We bring...

The others follow.

I think that, because of their peculiar situation, both personal and professional,

Stefania became indistinguishable from her mother.

I made her.

Like mother like daughter!

I was, I am, and I will always be Wanna Marchi's daughter

because she is a genius.

They gave each other strength.

They built a sort of enchanted castle, from their point of view,

that no one could enter.

And naturally, they never considered

the human tragedy that was unfolding and starting to come to the surface.

By selling these numbers,

they had extremely high profit margins.

In the 1996 to 2002 period,

we estimated their profits of 61,192,800,000 liras.

The database contained

305,964 clients.

The scam wasn't performed

on television, clearly.

The scheme itself clearly took place over the phone later.

Ladies and gentlemen, call now.

Do you want to know what your children do at night when they don't come home?

Do you want to know what your daughter is doing when she fibs?

Do you want to know why your son,

who got paid yesterday,

has already spent it?

Call us and find out.

In my family, there were problems with drugs.

So, I saw Ms. Marchi on TV

with her daughter and Master do Nascimento and...

So, I asked for a consultation.

I'm talking to you, ma'am.

I'm talking to you in particular and I'm saying to you...

I believe that you love your family.

They started asking me for money to resolve this issue

and offering me...

rituals.

I started buying these talismans.

This is not just any talisman or lucky charm.

No, it's something special

that the Master of Life, do Nascimento, will make specially for you,

for your issue.

If I got the package and paid

on a Thursday, let's say,

on Monday it would start all over again.

The week after...

They'd leave it a week, ten days,

and then they'd call because there was an imminent danger.

You really love your children, don't you?

They kept talking about imminent danger.

It was psychological blackmail.

That's why once, I got angry, and I said,

"I don't have any more money because I've spent so much."

And she said, "For ten million, will you let your daughter die?"

I love my family more than anything.

Then you think,

"If it really happens, I'll regret it."

So I went ahead.

I always defend my family, no matter what.

All this money, all these phone calls

took place roughly from 1997 to 1998,

give or take a month.

And I spent over 200 million in total.

As long as I had money... I paid.

Then I asked my mom for help.

Eventually, I couldn't ask anyone for anything anymore.

I decided to find the money on my own.

And how did I get the money? What could I do, rob a bank?

There were two options.

Either you go to the bank or roll up your sleeves

and say, "I'll find the money.

I'm not an idiot. I can work it out."

I remember that I bought a mobile phone and a SIM card.

You put an ad in the papers and they call you.

I'm not ashamed

because I never hurt anyone. Ever.

I must say that, until recently,

I was much nicer than I am today.

Today, with everything I've gone through in life,

my character has changed a lot.

Once, I could help a lot of people, but now I help people much less.

So, you want to know to what extent one can take advantage

of people's weaknesses?

We are all weak.

We all need illusions in life.

If someone sells you a tool and tells you that

if you hang yourself upside down

you'll grow two inches

and you hang yourself upside down,

are they scammers or are you an idiot?

For everyone who pays for lucky numbers from now on,

I will get the Master to give them something amazing,

the holy salt.

It helps you see any negativity in your house,

if something is wrong.

It will help you to spot it. How?

The salt will behave in a way that we'll explain later.

These people received a bag

with the lottery numbers and a packet of salt in it.

The packet of salt, as instructed, must be put in a glass,

in a closed cupboard, for a week, if I remember correctly.

Then you have to play those numbers, and, in theory, they'll come out.

Obviously, not everyone, but a lot of people called back saying,

"The numbers didn't come up."

So we had to ask this question...

"Did you follow the instructions? Did you put the salt in the glass?"

I remember answering a call like this from someone

who said, "Yes, I did, but not all the salt dissolved."

And I very candidly explained

that it was a normal chemical reaction,

that the solution was saturated

and not all the salt was going to dissolve.

By chance, seated across the table from me was Stefania Nobile.

She started shouting like a crazy person.

She said that I didn't understand anything

and that their core business was telling people

that the salt hadn't dissolved because obviously something was wrong

and there was negativity.

I should have said that

and then offer something from the Master to get rid of the negativity.

It was then that I finally understood what was going on

and what was really happening there.

Eventually, in January of 1999, I left.

I remember that I often told my friends

that I wanted people to know what was going on there

because it was

very morally wrong.

I didn't know if it was legal or illegal.

I wasn't concerned with whether it was legal,

just that it was morally unacceptable.

Ms. Marcon, what is or used to be your occupation?

I work as a seamstress.

Are you married? Any children?

-I'm a widow. I have two kids. -Two.

Did you watch Wanna Marchi's shows on television?

Yes.

Regularly or occasionally?

Occasionally. Usually, I'd change channels if I saw her.

When and how did you contact...

No, I didn't make contact. I was contacted.

My name is Sonia Battistutta,

and I'm Fosca Marcon's daughter.

I'm the youngest. I have an older brother, Lorenzo.

FOSCA MARCON'S DAUGHTER

Mom was born in 1930, so in 2001, she was 71.

It was towards the end of 2001

and we got this odd phone call at home.

My mom told me,

"Guess what? Wanna Marchi called me today."

"What do you mean? Wanna Marchi?"

"She can give me the winning lottery numbers

so I can be a millionaire."

When she got that call,

she started being curious.

We wondered,

"Well, where did they get her number?"

And my mom remembered

that she'd bought one of Wanna Marchi's products

years earlier.

And that's when we worked out

how she got into the database

full of pensioners, maybe widows, etcetera.

And they were their target customers.

So I told my brother.

It was Lorenzo who noticed the peculiarity of the story

and wrote to Striscia la Notizia one afternoon

after seeing the email address in the end credits.

HOW TO PICK APART TV SCAMS

Let's get to it! I'm joining Mr. Enzino Iacchetti.

Striscia la Notizia, the program that coined phrases like...

Here come the Veline!

-...characters... -Let's go!

...and puppets.

Dang! I have a scoop!

And above all, it invented a new kind of investigative journalism.

What is Striscia?

It's a satirical show where we try to find out the truth

while having a laugh.

The most desirable reporter for women over 60...

Jimmy Ghione!

The show's deus ex machina was Antonio Ricci.

We're entertainers, and we have to be incredible.

I've been doing Striscia for 23, 24 years now.

Jimmy Ghione is stepping in.

Look, can you explain how the money trick works?

-You from Striscia la Notizia? -Yes.

-Great! -Do you know those are illegal?

Jimmy Ghione, Striscia la Notizia, Rome.

In 2001, there was a sort of turning point.

We were checking reports from viewers and there was one

that caught our eye.

"This is happening to my mother."

The names of Wanna Marchi and her daughter came out.

Do you want to be a millionaire? Call us!

Call us!

Our interest was piqued, so we went to talk to this woman.

She was very smart,

so we thought she could be good bait.

She could help us understand what was happening.

They asked, "Ma'am, can you handle calling them back?"

"Of course. Yes, I'd love to."

How much do I have to pay?

-300,000. -300,000.

And I'll definitely win?

-Of course you will. -Of course.

"Okay. What do I have to do?"

"You have to pay 300,000 liras."

"Great. And then what will happen?"

"You'll receive an envelope with instructions."

There's a smaller bag inside.

-What is this? -This is the best part.

They've told me to put it in a clear glass.

-Yes. -In clean water.

And did you do all that?

I did everything they told me. I put it in the dark.

-Yes. -And leave it for seven days.

So, she plays the numbers, she waits, and they don't come up.

"Damn, the numbers don't come up."

And with the next phone call,

that's when the most shocking part starts.

I didn't win. Not a single number came up.

-Nothing came up? -No.

That's strange, ma'am.

We realized that the 300,000 liras

wasn't the final goal of the call.

That was just the door

into a whole other world.

Now, to all the mothers, I...

Hello?

-Hello? -Hi.

Nothing happened. The salt is still there.

-What? The salt is still there? -Yes, it's all there.

-All of it? Has it not dissolved, ma'am? -No, it's not dissolved.

Oh, my God, that is a tragedy.

And they would tell you, "The salt hasn't dissolved?

You're jinxed!"

Oh, my God. Something isn't right, ma'am.

And how did they get rid of this negativity?

The customer would have to pay

for a ritual by do Nascimento.

You'll need to pay four million

when you receive the parcel.

-Yes. -All right.

But, as guaranteed by the Master and his assistant,

after this, there'll be nothing else to do.

-Are you sure? -I'm more than sure, ma'am.

Because I know the Master,

I know how he works and what he is capable of doing.

So, we set up this meeting

when the Asciè courier was meant to come.

It's all set.

She had given us permission

to pack her house with micro cameras.

We wanted to expose the person coming to take the money.

We wanted to unmask them.

NOVEMBER 24TH, 2001

So, what happened? I hid...

Ms. Fosca and I are waiting.

10:00 A.M., MILAN SUBURBS

Hello.

And the courier arrived.

Who sent you here? Who?

The Master sent me.

The courier came to get the four million

because the Master had worked to get rid of the jinx.

10:00 A.M., MILAN

It was a Saturday,

I was about to leave to go to my villa on Lake Como.

My birthday is November 16th,

and I hadn't yet had a chance to see the staff from Asciè.

They wanted to wish me happy birthday and give me a present.

So they asked me to drop by the office.

So my mom and I went.

10:15 A.M.

At one point, Fosca wanted to step back.

So she made yet another call.

I can't do it.

I can't give you the money. I'm sorry.

-I've changed my mind. I can't do it. -What?

-I can't. I'm scared. -Don't say that. Wait a moment.

What happened then?

Who turns up at the other end of the line?

-Madam? -Yes?

Listen, this is Stefania Marchi. So...

-Wanna Marchi's daughter? -Wanna Marchi's daughter.

Stefania Nobile, Wanna Marchi's daughter.

Your call started yesterday morning...

I know.

Everybody has been working for you, ma'am, including the Master.

-From yesterday morning until now. -But I never asked for that!

I never asked you to call me.

She took the situation into her own hands

because she realized that those four million

could go up in smoke.

Ma'am, what do you want to do now? Tell me.

I'm sorry. I can't do it. I really can't.

Then I'll call the police.

-Fine. -Fine?

You deserve to be really...

You deserve all the evil in the world.

Because when the secretary...

So you are jinxing me.

Explain to me why the Master had to work for you.

Look, I didn't sleep last night. I'm scared.

I assure you, you didn't sleep last night and you'll never sleep again.

Goodbye.

In the end, I...

Even Mother Theresa would have lost it.

I said, "Ma'am, do you know what? You'll never sleep again."

What I remember about that day, about that phone call

from that lady, who I'm sure must be in Hell now,

because when you do something like that

that's where you end up.

I don't think it's a scam

because if someone called me and told me to put salt in a glass,

I'd tell them to fuck off. Come on.

-What do I think of Jimmy Ghione? -No, wait!

He's a moron. What should I think of Jimmy Ghione?

-What? -I meant...

Should I be myself or not? What the fuck do you want from me?

I mean, let's be clear now!

I mean it!

I'm not scared of jail anymore.

Air whatever you want. I don't care.

When I get asked, "Would you take it back?"

Never!

I hope we find something interesting for the investigation.

"Would you do it again?" Everything!

It's my life and I'm proud of my life.

"Do you regret anything?" What?

Former mafia bosses might have regrets, but I don't.

I was selling things.

I was earning money.

I don't think I was a scammer.

As you can see, the Financial Police are about to break the door down.

Nowadays,

people feel a bit...

They feel a bit

unjustly betrayed by life.

You know...

They have been arrested.

She was arrested with her daughter...

Some see a psychiatrist, some see a psychologist.

Great!

Chapeau! Bravo!

Because assholes must be fucked over!

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