Flávio Bolsonaro has reportedly left Brazil for the United States amid ongoing investigations into alleged financial crimes associated with betting companies.
Following his defeat in the recent presidential election, Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice Alexandre de Moraes mandated that Bolsonaro surrender both his civilian and diplomatic passports. Additionally, he barred the senator from leaving the country. These actions were taken at the request of the Federal Police as part of probes into money laundering and tax evasion.
There are claims that Bolsonaro had a covert partnership in betting houses implicated in financial wrongdoing, in collaboration with lawyer Willer Tomaz, who is also facing scrutiny.
Reports emerged on Tuesday, October 27, that Bolsonaro's associates had been notified of his flight to the United States.
Investigators allege that both Bolsonaro and Willer were principal users of an account at Santander Bank. Although they have denied this, the Federal Police uncovered a message from Tomaz requesting that Bolsonaro be removed from the account credentials.
Tomaz is the majority shareholder of Cathedral Holdings, a Portugal-based company, and he wholly owns Rede Loto, which controls BestBet and two other licensed brands in Rio de Janeiro. A report by Piauí magazine suggested that Flávio was a silent partner in these betting operations.
The betting site in question operated for approximately two years, generating just over BRL360,000 (about $67,275). It fulfilled the Rio de Janeiro state licensing fee of BRL5 million but did not engage in advertising or commercial operations. In contrast, Tomaz reportedly transacted over BRL10 billion in sports bets on Blaze, earning recognition from the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) as Brazil’s largest gambler.
The Federal Police have also accused Bolsonaro of financial misdeeds relating to the funding of a film about his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, who has faced conviction for attempted coup activities.
Reports indicate that allies of the defeated candidate confirmed his departure on a flight to the United States. A source in the U.S. close to the Trump administration and Bolsonaro's family noted that they were "aware of the departure." While the State Department has yet to comment, Brazilian media outlets suggest that the Trump administration may grant asylum to the senator.
Authorities noted that when Bolsonaro failed to surrender his passports by 11 a.m. that Tuesday, the Federal Police revoked them and informed Justice de Moraes of their administrative action.
Initial reports of Bolsonaro’s escape appeared on the Argentinian news site Infobae, which stated he had crossed into Argentina using his ID card and intended to depart from Puerto Iguazú to the United States. Supposedly, he traversed the Tancredo Neves bridge on foot, linking Foz do Iguaçu (Paraná) with Puerto Iguazú (Misiones, Argentina). However, the plane scheduled for his flight did not take off due to an unidentified missing passenger, leaving uncertainty about how this individual intends to travel to the U.S. There is no official record of Bolsonaro’s legal departure from Brazil. On the eve of the election, his brother Eduardo, who also retreated to the U.S., suggested that Flávio should seek refuge there if he lost.
Some sources hinted that Bolsonaro may have exited Brazil through Venezuela.
