In Brazil, police conducted Operation “Desfortuna”, which involved searches and arrests of 15 influencers suspected of promoting illegal online casinos, including Jogo do Tigrinho. Their Instagram and TikTok accounts together reached nearly 35 million people.
Law enforcement officials allege that the celebrities used social media to promote gambling platforms with “false promises of easy profits,” encouraging followers to sign up through affiliate links.
These individuals promoted gambling sites that are illegal in Brazil, with the promise of easy and quick money. – said the head of the DCOC-LD department of the Rio de Janeiro police, Rogerio Pacheco.
It is emphasized that these are not licensed bookmakers, but gambling sites banned by Brazilian law.
These are not authorized sports betting sites. We are talking about gambling that Brazilian law explicitly prohibits. – Pacheco emphasized.
Authorities note that the casinos promoted were not inspected and in some cases did not pay out winnings to players.
The investigation also uncovered fraudulent money laundering schemes with the use of shell companies and suspicious links to organized crime.
Representatives from the country’s Council for Financial Activities Control (COAF) found more than $828 million in suspicious bank transactions related to the group and affiliated companies.
We have identified atypical transactions with very large amounts that do not match the reported income. – COAF reported.
Investigators report that influencers received as much as $46,000 in advertising contracts in three months, with some also receiving a share of the losses of recruited players.
Among the individuals mentioned is Bia Miranda, who became popular in 2022 after participating in a national reality show. The investigation uncovered evidence of illicit enrichment of the celebrity, Bia Miranda received more than $736k in her accounts in a year.
In the MauMau’s house in São Paulo, officers found weapons during a search and arrested him red-handed.
The co-owner of Cash Pay Meios de Pagamento Ltda, Sun Chunyan is also under the gun. The company was reportedly a key conduit for illegal money transactions in the criminal scheme.
A total of 31 warrants were obtained by officers of the Police Department of Organized Crime and Money Laundering (DCOC-LD) to search the premises and seize evidence against 15 Influencers.
Financial institutions were also targeted and the court allowed the tax secrecy of these companies to be lifted.
- Full list of suspected Influencers: List
- Read more: Google news
