Sara Monaschi was an Italian financial auditor who worked for the Catholic Church's Roman Curia in Rome during the 2000s. In 2008, she was one of the main players in a Mafia-tainted scheme to acquire a lucrative piece of beachfront property in Ostia from the Church, seeking to acquire the property for her husband Sandro Monaschi's Edilcigno consortium.
Biography[]
Monaschi in 2008
Sara Monaschi was born in Rome, Lazio, Italy, and she married Sandro Monaschi and became a financial auditor for the Roman Curia. In 2008, with the Mayor of Rome's resignation, she attempted to convince Monsignor Theodosiou to offer a valuable piece of beachfront property in Ostia to her husband; as the Roman Catholic Church was suffering from accounts in the red and an archbishop on trial in America, the Church did not wish to go into debt, making the Church eager to sell the property to the highest bidder. At a meeting of the Curia, she sided with Theodosiou when he warned Cardinal Cosimo Giunti that the Curia needed to be sure of who the Church was selling the property to; Monaschi secretly hoped to prevent Giunti's favored buyer, the Blue Mirror consortium, from buying the property before her husband's company Edilcigno could. Theodosiou was reluctant, but Monaschi suggested that another "carefree evening" might help Theodosiou speed up his decision on the matter, and Theodosiou nervously asked her to set one up for him that evening. Monaschi persuaded her old associate Gabriele Marchilli to host a sex party for Theodosiou that evening, although Marchilli - angered that Monaschi had not called him in three months - insisted that it would be the last time he helped her. Later that same day, she was visited at the hair salon by the Mafia Capitale boss Samurai, who was backing the other company bidding for the beachfront property in Ostia. When Samurai said that he wanted the 20 acres on the beach, Monaschi said that she was only the commission's auditor, but Samurai revealed that he knew that Monaschi intended to have the property sold to her husband, and told her that the city was very gossipy. He also cryptically threatened her, saying that he knew where to find her then, and that he would know where to find her in the future, "if need be." Before leaving, Samurai asked Sara for a price, saying that he could be generous, and he then took his leave.
Monaschi talking with the Countess
That night, Monaschi and her husband attended a party which was also attended by Countess Sveva della Rocca Croce, who took Sara aside to talk about the gossip surrounding Monaschi's position of power on the Vatican commission. The two discussed the fact that all of Sandro's partners knew that Sara would try and win the property for her husband, and that the most feared man in Rome would likely also know; Sara confided that she may have met that man the same day. Sveva proceeded to warn Monaschi, "You're dealing with the person who's always decided everything in Rome. It's up to you to decide whether to pass...or risk it." That same night, Monaschi's plans were complicated when Theodosiou overdosed on cocaine at the orgy, and the Monsignor was sent to the hospital, while Michele's drug dealers Spadino Anacleti and Aureliano Adami decided to blackmail Theodosiou with a sex tape stolen from the prostitute Isabelle Mbamba.
Monaschi visiting the Monsignor in the hospital
The next day, Monaschi visited Theodosiou at the hospital, where Theodosiou told her about the sex tape and the blackmailers' demands for €300,000 by 4:00 that afternoon. He also accused Monaschi of being as guilty as he was, as she had taken him into the abyss out of self-interest, but Monaschi tried to reassure him. When she said that they would sort out the mess together, Theodosiou said that Monaschi was a horrible person, only for Monaschi to sternly ask Theodosiou if he wanted her help.
Monaschi meeting with Marchilli
Monaschi had Marchilli meet her in her car that afternoon, and she angrily accused him of botching her plan and even of being involved in the rumored sex tape blackmail plot, suggesting that Marchilli may have done so to get back at her. Marchilli, who did not care for Monaschi's accusations, attempted to leave the car before Monaschi dragged him back in. Marchilli then asked if Monaschi really believed he would betray her, but Monaschi said that he had organized the party and the people involved. She then told Marchilli that he had to help her fix the mess, and Monaschi said that the blackmailer was young with dark shaved hair, and that he looked like a thug. Marchilli lied and said that there were several men who looked like that, but Monaschi angrily asked if Marchilli didn't know who was at the party. She also said that there was a black girl in the sex tape, and, when Monaschi asked Marchilli who the girl was Marchilli angrily retorted, "One of the many!" Monaschi said that she wanted Marchilli to find the girl, as she was involved for sure, and, when Marchilli said that Monaschi still hadn't paid him, Monaschi ordered Marchilli to find the girl. As Marchilli left the car, Monaschi again yelled for him to find the girl.
Sara and Sandro arguing about the blackmail plot
Gabriele called Sara later that afternoon to say that the girl was nowhere to be found, causing a panicked Sara to insist that Gabriele had to find her. When she hung up, she told her husband Sandro that the blackmailers had put a snippet of the sex tape (without the priest's face) online to threaten him, and Sandro argued with her after he asked why she was putting their lives in the priest's hands. Sara returned to Theodosiou at the hospital and decided to meet with the blackmailers in his place, and she told Theodosiou to then leave the hospital and join the commission at 8:00 PM, where he would vote the way Sara wanted. Theodosiou said that Sara was no different than the blackmailers, but she merely reiterated that she would see Theodosiou at 8:00.
Monaschi meeting with Spadino Anacleti
Monaschi proceeded to travel to the green space outside the hospital, where she met with one of the blackmailers, Spadino Anacleti, on a park bench. Sara handed Spadino a packet of money, but Spadino was amused that she had only given him a tenth of the amount. While Spadino offered to view it as payment in advance, Sara said that it was the entire payment, and that it was all that the priest had. Spadino said that Sara should go back to the priest and warn him that, if he did not pay the full amount, his face would end up all over the place. Sara retorted that, if Spadino put the tape online, the police would find him in five minutes. Spadino then got up and warned Sara that the situation did not end there, but Sara declared, "I say it does," and she then returned to her car.
Gabriele talking to Sara at her apartment
That evening, at 7:00 PM, Gabriele headed over to Sara's apartment, where Sara told Gabriele that nothing had changed, and that she hadn't been at her apartment for three months either. She then asked what Gabriele wanted to talk to her about, and he revealed that he couldn't find the girl. Sara revealed that she had taken care of the situation by paying the blackmailers, albeit not the amount they wanted. Gabriele then asked if the priest was still in the hospital, and Sara revealed that the priest had been discharged, and that he was okay again. Sara revealed to Gabriele that she would see the priest in an hour at the commission, and she remembered that she still had to pay Gabriele. Gabriele commented that Sara was beautiful, and she apologized for yelling at him that morning. She then kissed him on the cheek and left, telling him to shut the door as he left. As soon as Sara left, Gabriele called Spadino and told him not to put the sex tape online yet, as he knew where the priest was. With Gabriele's help, Aureliano and Spadino were able to track the priest down to his apartment and kidnap him, but not before the priest called Sara at the local dry cleaner and warned her that the blackmailers were after him. Monaschi postponed the Curia's meeting and went to the Monsignor's apartment to check on him, only to find that he was gone.
Monaschi meeting with Samurai
Later that evening, at around 9:00 PM, a desperate Monaschi called Samurai, who drove his motorcycle to meet her at the Suburra. There, she told Samurai that a priest on the Vatican commission had been kidnapped, and that she wanted Samurai's help with finding him. Samurai then asked what Monaschi would give him if he could find the priest, so she offered to split the Ostia land 50/50 between them. Samurai agreed to help, and he personally confronted Spadino the next morning and had him release the priest.
Monaschi picking up the Monsignor
Monaschi picked up the desheveled priest from the roadside later that day, and she brought him to the commission, where she assured him that it was all over, and he could relax. The priest protested that Monaschi had not spent the whole night in a whole being manhandled by those "animals", and he again blamed Monaschi for the situation. Monaschi apologized, but she told the Monsignor to convene the commission as soon as possible. Theodosiou agreed, but he said that he did not want to hear any more about her business. Monaschi assured him that convening the commission would be the final step before the matter was resolved.
Monaschi meeting with Samurai at the horse track
Monaschi proceeded to meet with Samurai at a horse track that afternoon, and Samurai asked about the priest. Monaschi said that the priest was doing fine, and Samurai then asked when the priest would be ready to sign. Monaschi insisted that they needed to talk first, and she said that they needed to talk about her husband's company's share. Samurai admitted that Monaschi had said that, but said that he had solved the Monsignor problem, and he thus got everything; he also threatened to blackmail Theodosiou if Monaschi did not comply. Monaschi was infuriated, and she met with Sveva della Rocca Croce, who advised her to get Theodosiou out of Rome and away from Samurai, as well as to slow down the Commission's decisions. The Countess also told Monaschi that Giacomo Finucci, the technical counsellor to the Building Commission (through whom all construction companies' bids were vetted, and who was on Samurai's payroll), was about to be indicted. That night, Monaschi persuaded Theodosiou to leave Rome until the situation died down.
The next day, the Countess persuaded Monaschi to corrupt the new member of the Municipal Building Commission, Gianni Taccon, so that the Ostia beachfront land could go to her husband's company. Monaschi also met with Gabriele again, and Gabriele revealed that he had already settled his debt, and didn't need Sara's help, even when Sara said that she found a way to help him.
The next day, Monaschi met with Taccon at the Countess' mansion, where she told Taccon that she worked for the Vatican, that the church was planning to sell their Ostia beachfront property to a group of entrepreneurs, and that the man behind them was Samurai. Taccon said that he was familiar with Taccon, and Monaschi said that Taccon thus knew who was behind Finucci as well. Taccon said that he would do his best for Sara's husband and anyone else bidding for the land, and, when Sara began to say that her husband wasn't backed by criminals, Taccon hurriedly bade her farewell and left, rather than allow himself to consider a corrupt decision. She was then summoned by Samurai, who refused to believe her lie that she didn't know where Monsignor Theodosiou had gone, and told her that time was running out for both the deal and Monaschi. As Monaschi left, she was surprised to see Gabriele being brought by Saverio Guerri to meet with Samurai. That night, she met with Gabriele and discovered that Samurai was the man to whom Gabriele had been indebted, and, her worries allayed, she seduced Gabriele once again.
Monaschi conspiring with the youngsters
However, Gabriele surprised Monaschi the next day by taking her to meet Adami and Anacleti, whom Monaschi recognized as the blackmailers of Theodosiou. Monaschi grew enraged that Gabriele had been in league with them all along, and she slapped him and attempted to leave, before Adami drew a gun. He demanded that she use her power to persuade Monsignor Theodosiou and the Vatican Bank to sell the Ostia beachfront property to them, and Gabriele attempted to persuade her that it would be the only way to keep the beachfront out of Samurai's hands. Monaschi initially refused, and, while Gabriele drove her home, she pulled the emergency brake and stormed out of the car after Gabriele said that both of them used people and discarded them once they were useless. However, Monaschi gave the offer some thought and persuaded her husband that they could give half of their near-bankrupt company's shares to the three young men in exchange for them warding off Samurai as Monaschi secured the beachfront property for her husband's company. Monaschi returned to the trio and told them that she would acquire the beachfront property for her husband's company, and that she would make the trio partners, with 50% of the shares; Anacleti negotiated an increase to 60% to make it easier to split among the three. Monaschi then warned the youngsters that Samurai also wanted the land, and Adami grew uneasy, saying that he believed that Monaschi wanted them to kill Samurai. Adami decided to renegotiate, demanding 75% of the company's shares, as well as Theodosiou's location, so that she would not sell out the trio to Samurai. Adami decided that Marchilli would go with Monaschi to sign the papers, while Adami and Anacleti would go to get the priest.
Marchilli and Monaschi saw to the signing over of the company shares, before Adami and Anacleti called them and told them that Theodosiou wanted to speak with Sara. The two drove to the abbey where the Monsignor was staying, and Sara went alone to confront the priest atop the abbey's tower as the three youngsters waited below. Monaschi found Theodosiou standing at the edge of the tower, and she begged him to come away from the edge, telling him that the Church would forgive, as would the people; she also told him that he could leave Rome and become a priest in a countryside church. When she reached out her hand, the Monsignor finished praying and let himself fall to his death from the tower, causing Monaschi to scream in anguish.