ex-con Antonio Vega leaves prison determined to rebuild his life in an honest way; Carlo sees him as a worthy successor, but Antonio only accepts Carlo's help when economic hardship forces him to do so. Carlo manages to drive Asa's company to near-bankruptcy and hires a hypnotherapist in a failed attempt to program Viki to kill her own son Kevin Buchanan. Alex leaves Asa and pretends she is pregnant to coerce Carlo into marrying her; Asa reveals the truth to Carlo, who dumps Alex. Carlo is again found murdered, the list of suspects also including Max Holden and Viki and Tina's brother Todd Manning, both of whom Carlo had almost killed. Antonio is nearly convicted when Mortimer appears and testifies that Alex had killed Carlo as revenge for leaving her. Mortimer soon disappears with Asa's $30 million; months later, he returns and lures Alex out of town with him. When Alex returns to Llanview in 2001, she confirms that "Mortimer" had been Carlo in disguise, but he had since left her and vanished with the money. 2005 Fleeing a kidnapping charge for having ex-wife Blair Cramer abducted and thrown into a mental institution, Asa tracks down Carlo in Argentina in 2005. Asa makes Carlo a deal: he can keep Asa's millions uncontested if he kills Blair for Asa. Carlo accepts and returns to Llanview, disguising himself as a police officer and nearly murdering Blair. Blair's ex-husband Todd manages to save her, and Carlo is sent to prison. He stages a massive prison break in November 2005, but ultimately remains incarcerated. 2008 On June 26, 2008, Llanview police officer (and Antonio's girlfriend) Talia Sahid inexplicably aids Jonas Chamberlain, the sinister U.S. Ambassador to the European principality of Mendorra, in kidnapping her roommate Sarah Roberts (Cristian's girlfriend). Soon Antonio and Cristian discover that Jonas has both women; they and Sarah's mother Tina Lord – who had been posing as the Crown Princess of Mendorra – agree to accompany Jonas back to Mendorra in order to make an exchange: Sarah and Talia for the Crown Jewels which Tina has in her possession. In Mendorra, Carlo is revealed to be Talia's estranged father, and the real mastermind behind the kidnappings (corrupt Llanview Police Commissioner Lee Ramsey had effected Carlo's disappearance from prison). Talia is Carlo's youngest child; during her early childhood, she had lived under Carlo's tyrannical rule, tormented by her demented siblings, Johnny