Criminal factions use 31 influencers to launder R$ 7 billion in 5 states.
Criminal factions such as Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (CV) recruit digital influencers to launder billions of reais through social media, illegal online gambling , and shell companies. The investigation involves 31 influencers in at least five Brazilian states.
An exclusive survey commissioned by Veja magazine mapped the scheme in the states where organized crime has the greatest penetration: São Paulo, the base of the PCC, and Rio de Janeiro, a stronghold of the CV, as well as Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, and Rio Grande do Sul. The 31 identified influencers have a combined total of 149 million followers and are suspected of having moved 7 billion reais in transactions designed to give a legal appearance to money of criminal origin, according to data collected from the Civil Police and local Public Prosecutor's Offices.
The investigations cover the last five years and reveal that the scheme goes far beyond internet celebrities. Most of those investigated operate in niches such as funk music, fashion, and fitness, with profiles of up to 100 followers, making oversight more difficult due to the widespread nature of the phenomenon.
Illegal gambling as the core of money laundering.
The central mechanism of the scheme involves online betting sites operated without authorization from the Ministry of Justice, generally with registered addresses abroad. Influencers act as the faces of these fictitious platforms, attracting bettors by showcasing designer clothes, jewelry, imported cars, and luxury trips. The money raised returns to the criminal factions through banks, fintech companies, front companies, shell companies, and cryptocurrencies. The winnings from the nonexistent bets are usually split fifty-fifty with the influencers.
"Illegal betting sites are the top priority in the crackdown on these influencers' activities," stated Ricardo Morishita Wada, Consumer Secretary at the Ministry of Justice.
The case of Vanessa Freires illustrates the pattern. With 100 followers before being banned from social media by the courts, she flaunted wads of cash presented as gambling winnings and allegedly moved 500 reais for the CV (Comando Vermelho, a Brazilian criminal organization). The investigation also points to a clothing and accessories store registered in her name as a possible additional element of the money laundering operation. Despite displaying signs of wealth on social media, the resident of Duque de Caxias, in the Baixada Fluminense region, was even listed as a beneficiary of emergency aid intended for low-income individuals.
Influencers rarely have direct contact with faction leaders. A network of intermediaries handles recruitment, primarily seeking content creators who already promote online betting , whether at in-person events or through digital channels.
Cases investigated
Micael dos Santos de Morais, owner of the MS agency and one of the targets of Operation Desfortuna, frequently recruited content creators focused on gambling, a frequency that caught the attention of investigators. The total transactions in his own account, with 15 followers, and in those of the other suspects linked to him reached 7,8 million reais, according to the investigation. In the records of the Ministry of Labor, Micael appears as a young apprentice at a supermarket chain in Rio de Janeiro, with a monthly salary of 560 reais.
Fashion influencer Luíza Ferreira, from Rio de Janeiro with 100 followers, is also part of Operation Misfortune. Investigations indicate that she allegedly laundered 700 reais through a series of bank transactions, a value far exceeding what she declared on her income tax return. Luíza denied involvement in any illegal activity and stated that her assets are the result of "honest work" on social media.
Personal trainer Mayara Costa, arrested in June in the city of Sobral, Ceará, is identified as a key player in one of the largest schemes on the list. With 16 followers, she is suspected of being part of a network that allegedly laundered 1 billion reais for the CV (Comando Vermelho) through companies, real estate, and luxury cars, according to investigations.
Natacha Silva, a former dancer on the Domingão do Faustão program and former Carnival muse, may become the most direct link to the top of the PCC (Primeiro Comando da Capital) identified so far by investigations. With 1 million followers, she maintained a relationship with Valdeci Alves dos Santos, known as Colorido, identified as one of the leaders of the faction in Rio Grande do Norte. The Public Prosecutor's Office of Rio Grande do Norte accuses her of laundering 15 million reais for the gang; in exchange, the faction allegedly financed an exchange program in the United States. The defense denies any wrongdoing and maintains that Natacha was included in the investigation solely because of the relationship.
Difficulties in dismantling the scheme
Investigators face at least three structural obstacles. The first is the volatility of the operations; at the slightest sign of scrutiny, illegal betting sites are taken offline and replaced by new platforms. The second is the financial complexity; dismantling the networks requires breaking bank secrecy and preserving evidence that can be deleted from a cell phone in seconds. The third is the resistance of digital platforms to adopt mechanisms for monitoring suspicious transactions, similar to those required of banks.
"The criminal gangs maintain a 100% commercial link with the influencers, something complex to unravel," stated Renan Mello, a delegate from the specialized money laundering division of the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police.
“It’s no use just removing the influencer from the scene, because they will certainly find another one who does the same thing. It’s necessary to reach the top,” declared prosecutor Flávio Duarte, from the Public Prosecutor's Office of Rio Grande do Sul.
Tax officials also acknowledge the difficulty in tracking mechanisms such as "pool accounts," which mix funds from multiple clients, and crypto-assets, which operate outside the traditional financial control systems.
"There are countless possibilities for money to fluctuate in these profiles due to their informal and unbureaucratic nature," assessed prosecutor Orlando Pugliese, from the Public Prosecutor's Office of São Paulo.
Throughout this year, the Ministry of Finance removed 243 illegal betting apps and approximately 1.000 influencer pages that promoted clandestine betting sites or violated legal regulations in the sector.
