(FOLHAPRESS) - This Friday morning (3), the Federal Police arrested secretary Stella Stefanie Nunes Henrique de Oliveira, sanctioned by the United States government for alleged links with the PCC (Primeiro Comando da Capital), in an operation against suspected members of a criminal organization specialized in laundering money from international drug trafficking.
Businessman Victor Henrique de Oliveira Shimada is also the target of the operation and considered a fugitive.
Folha reached out to the lawyer defending Shimada in other cases via message this Friday morning (2), but has not received any response so far. The report also seeks Stella's defense.
Operation Exchange carries out 11 temporary arrest warrants and 13 search and seizure warrants, issued by the 7th Federal Criminal Court in São Paulo/SP, at addresses in the capital of São Paulo, in Santos, in Praia Grande and in Santana de Parnaíba.
The court also ordered the seizure of assets, valuables and crypto-assets from those under investigation up to a total amount of R$10.4 billion.
According to the PF, those investigated had a structured system for the movement of resources, through illicit transfers of cryptoactives, transport of values, including in cash, high-value banking operations, transfers between individuals and legal entities and other financial activities. The preliminary analysis made it possible to identify movements in excess of R$10 billion.
Investigations are ongoing and those under investigation may be held liable for the crimes of criminal association, money laundering, currency evasion and other crimes that may be identified during the investigation.
Businessman Victor Henrique de Oliveira Shimada, subject of sanctions by the United States government on Wednesday (1st) on suspicion of being part of a PCC money laundering scheme, is one of the defendants in the process that analyzes alleged irregularities in Corinthians' sponsorship contract with the bookmaker VaideBet.
He was also sentenced to five years in prison, in an initial semi-open regime, for theft through electronic fraud and money laundering after being prosecuted by Banco Votorantim. The bank accused him of diverting more than R$35 million from his accounts, through 2,799 transfers via Pix, to an account in the name of his company.
According to a prosecutor from Gaeco (Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime) of the São Paulo Public Ministry, Shimada is considered a money laundering service provider for the PCC's international drug trafficking, but not a member of the faction's hierarchy.
He highlighted the high volume of money that passed through his bank accounts, suspected of having no proof of origin.
The São Paulo government's intelligence sector does not identify it as factionalized. He was detained for 15 days at the Pinheiros Provisional Detention Center, in January 2025, and was the subject of police reports for domestic violence and embezzlement.
A law firm that represents Shimada in processes in Brazil stated, when contacted by Folha, that it resigned on the fourth of all the processes in which it acted on his behalf.
He was appealing the conviction for embezzlement at Banco Votorantim, stating that he did not embezzle money and was harmed in the operations targeted by the complaint. The report did not find other lawyers to represent him.
The Civil Police and the Public Ministry of São Paulo point out that a company that manages football players, accused of having links with the PCC, received more than R$1 million from payments made by Corinthians.
