[3] He studied painting in the Russian Empire, but he had to leave the country in 1922 because his parents were on the wrong side of the Soviet Revolution.

He went across Europe, was married in Italy,[4] and finally tried to start a new life in Germany, where he met a counterfeiter and decided to become one himself.

[5] He was wanted by several European police forces prior to the outbreak of World War II.

He was soon on international "Wanted" lists as a counterfeiter, but he is also believed to have forged emigration papers for Jews trying to go to Palestine.

The Uruguayan police apparently caught on, and Smolianoff moved to Brazil in the 1950s, where he went into the toy business.