Gang accused of manipulating games laundered betting profits, says MP

Investigations by the Special Action Group for the Repression of Organized Crime (Gaeco), of the Public Ministry of Goiás, into manipulation and betting on Brazilian football have entered a new stage. The new focus of the Maximum Penalty Operation is to find out how the gang laundered the profit — which could exceed R$ 700,000 in a single round. With the money, the members planned to expand the scheme, open an office and enjoy a life of luxury. with a birthday in Dubai, in the Middle East and trips with the children to Disney.

In the complaint presented to the Justice of Goiás in March, the Public Ministry attached conversations between those investigated that already indicate that the group laundered the money from the bets. In one group, Bruno Lopez and Ícaro Fernando — also denounced for manipulations, plan to open an office for the group to operate. The place would be set up with the soccer environment: floor with synthetic grass and framed players’ shirts. With the success of the scheme, the head of the group even calculated to pay the player in advance instead of just a signal.

To try to outwit the authorities, according to Gaeco, Ícaro suggests that “one” be made per month or every two months, “probably referring to manipulated bets”. Soon after, they comment on the need to launder the money.

“We’re going to have to make this money clean”, writes Fernando:

“That little wash”, replies Bruno Lopez.

The use of oranges to receive profits is also discussed by the head of the gang, but with another member. In a conversation in September 2022, Thiago Chambó, named as one of the biggest financiers of the scheme, warns Lopez about the need to use oranges to cover up gains:

“You don’t even transfer your wife or your CNPJ anymore. For nobody. Next time, understand? Get some orange beads to send ”she wrote.

millionaire trail

The suggestion, however, did not prevent the authorities from identifying the unusual movements in the accounts of Bruno Lopez and his wife Camila Motta. At the request of prosecutors, financial intelligence reports produced by the Financial Activities Control Council (Coaf) show that the couple alone moved more than R$ 2 million from March to September 2022. in solidarity with the defendants, to repair collective moral damages.

The investigation points out that Camila Motta was administratively responsible for the financial operations. Coaf identified that between March 7 and September 22, 2022, she received more than R$ 1 million in credits in her bank account. In the same period, almost the same value came out. According to the complaint filed by the MP, as her husband’s partner, she was responsible for paying the players.

One of the payments made through the woman’s account was to Emilton Pedroso, then a player for São Luiz, a club from Rio Grande do Sul. He had been co-opted to commit a penalty in the first half of the game against Caxias for the Rio Grande do Sul championship this year for the promise of paying R$70,000 for the act. Before the game, R$ 30 thousand were deposited in his account. The player confessed to the fact and made a non-criminal prosecution agreement not to be denounced.

In the bank report, analysts identified the possible practice of smurfing in Camila Motta’s account, which would have a monthly income of R$ 4,500. The practice of splitting deposits and amounts is common in anyone trying to launder money. By reducing the amounts in small operations, the criminal tries to avoid alerting the financial authorities.

For the couple’s company, the transfer of 14 PIXs from the woman’s personal account to the BS Sports account in the amount of R$ 106.8 thousand was identified. As for William de Oliveira Souza, one of the gamblers denounced in the investigation, Camila received R$ 140,000 in five operations.

“Verified that the amounts moved showed volumes greater than the declared income (…) With more than 2 deposits in the period of five working days in amounts lower than the established limits, sometimes several operations carried out on the same day, both carried out with indications of circumvention of limits regulatory reporting, unusual for their commercial activity)”, says an excerpt from the report on Camila’s movements.

Bruno Lopez’s financial report during March 2022 was also attached to the file for the alerts made. In the 31 days, the person appointed as head of the scheme received almost BRL 79,000 and spent only BRL 1. With the atypical movements, a fraud alert was generated.

“It was identified during the period that people were recipients of fraudulent credits in accounts owned by them. All accounts have been or are in the process of being closed. Internal diligences were carried out in which it was verified that they could or should have known that the resources would originate from fraud carried out in bank accounts of the alleged victims”, says an excerpt from the report.

*With information from Extra

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