Maria steadily becomes tired of the power struggles of the Mafia and Salvatore's lack of attention for her. When she meets Claude in 2001, she sees him as just another obedient 'dog' of Salvatore, mockingly calling him "Fido". However, she grows font of him and goes as far as telling Salvatore she and Claude are in love. Salvatore, already getting paranoid, tries to kill Claude by sending him into a trap. Maria saves him and introduces him to her friend Asuka Kasen, who suggests they flee to Staunton Island. Maria does not return to her husband, but moves in with Asuka.
Maria in GTA III
Maria is later taught how to torture by Asuka, practising on Miguel of the Colombian Cartel. When the cartel raids the building, Maria is kidnapped by Catalina, who wants to lure Claude into her trap. Claude manages to evade the trap and kill Catalina. He rescues Maria and they can be seen walking together at the end of the storyline. Maria keeps talking hysterically about her ruined hair and how she loves Claude. When the screen fades to black, she is silenced by a gunshot, causing her fate to remain unknown.
Maria can be heard on the radio show Chatterbox. She calls into the show to tell Lazlow about her relationship with Claude. She is worried because Claude doesn't seem to be very interested in her and "doesn't talk too much". She also insinuates she fears he might be gay, as she suspects of Lazlow.