Flávio Bolsonaro, the Brazilian senator and son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, arrived on Wednesday in Miami after departing Brazil following his defeat in the presidential runoff against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sunday. According to reports from The Guardian, his private jet landed at the Miami-Opa Locka executive airport, where police transported him away without making any statements. A press conference is anticipated either Wednesday or Thursday.
A senior official from the U.S. State Department confirmed that the Bolsonaro family would receive visas, an approval supported by former President Donald Trump on Tuesday evening.
Bolsonaro is currently embroiled in at least two criminal investigations, including allegations of involvement in a significant money-laundering operation estimated at approximately $905 million associated with betting companies. Following the election results, the Federal Police requested that the Supreme Federal Court (STF) immobilize his passports over these concerns, fearing he might flee. Justice Alexandre de Moraes instructed him to surrender his civilian and diplomatic passports and prohibiting his exit from Brazil. After Bolsonaro failed to comply by 11 a.m. on Tuesday, police invalidated his passports.
Investigators allege that Bolsonaro had a concealed ownership stake in betting businesses alongside lawyer Willer Tomaz, who is also under investigation. Tomaz is the sole proprietor of Rede Loto, the entity behind BestBet and two other licensed brands in Rio de Janeiro. Piauí magazine has indicated that Bolsonaro was secretly involved with these operations.
Concerns regarding financial activities at BestBet have emerged, noting that over nearly two years, the brand generated just over BRL360,000 (equivalent to $67,275), which is less than ten percent of the BRL5 million cost for its state license, and operated without any marketing efforts. Conversely, Tomaz reportedly gambled over BRL10 billion on sports using Blaze, earning the title of Brazil’s largest gambler from the country’s betting regulator, the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA). Furthermore, documents suggest that both men had access to a Santander bank account, a claim both deny, although there is a message from Tomaz requesting Bolsonaro’s access be revoked.
After the election, Bolsonaro was absent from public view for more than a day until Argentine migration authorities revealed that he had crossed over into Argentina by land on Tuesday night. As reported by The Guardian, he boarded his flight at Puerto Iguazú around 11:30 p.m. alongside his wife and two daughters, subsequently flying to Guayaquil, Ecuador, which kept the aircraft outside of Brazilian airspace before finally heading to Miami.
Additional reports from Brazilian newspaper O Globo suggest that arrangements for his departure had been in the works for weeks in anticipation of a loss in the election. His brother, Eduardo, currently living in self-imposed exile in the U.S., was reportedly the main organizer of this escape plan. The Federal Police are facing criticism for allowing Bolsonaro to leave the country.
In response to the situation, Lula referred to Bolsonaro’s flight as “shameful.” Despite his loss, the legal cases against Bolsonaro will remain at the Supreme Court, as a ruling from 2025 stipulates that crimes committed during a politician’s tenure are adjudicated there, even post-tenure. Had he won, he would have been shielded from prosecution for actions committed outside of his term, as per Brazilian constitutional law.
