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Brazilian defendants in the United States have admitted roles in a money-laundering scheme that moved about $30 million from drug trafficking proceeds, according to single-source reporting from O Globo based on US court records and official statements.
The case centers on Victor Henrique Shimada, a Brazilian sanctioned this week by the US Treasury Department over alleged connections to the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), Brazil’s most powerful prison-born criminal organization. O Globo reports that Florida court documents do not directly mention Brazilian criminal groups, but describe Shimada as one of the figures who helped direct the operation.
How the Case Emerged
US authorities reportedly began examining the network after seizing the cellphone of Brazilian Ygor Fokin Saviolli at Fort Lauderdale airport in 2023. Investigators found photos and videos of large amounts of cash, along with messages that suggested criminal activity, according to O Globo.
Four Brazilians were arrested in Florida in January after an FBI investigation. So far, six people involved in the case, five of them Brazilian nationals, have pleaded guilty or admitted participating in the laundering operation, the newspaper reported.
The scheme allegedly ran from December 2022 to January 2025. Prosecutors say participants collected cash in 12 US cities, deposited much of it through ATMs, and moved the funds through bank accounts in Miami and elsewhere to conceal the origin of the money.
The Alleged Network
According to O Globo’s account of the plea documents, Saviolli admitted that he provided advance funds to support the operation and supervised the receipt and laundering of cash from the sale of controlled substances. The records cited by the newspaper say Saviolli and Shimada recruited and instructed other participants.
Stella de Oliveira, described by O Globo as Shimada’s secretary and also sanctioned by the US Treasury, and Brazilian Gabriel Menezes allegedly helped supervise dozens of cash pickups through WhatsApp messages. Menezes was described as handling logistics, including hotel reservations and airline tickets, and giving instructions for collections.
Saviolli said he maintained regular contact with Shimada about the operation and received spreadsheets and documents listing collection dates, locations and amounts, according to the report. Between August and October 2023, Saviolli facilitated the laundering of more than $3.5 million, the same amount linked in the documents to Menezes.
PCC Link Cited by Treasury
The US Treasury said this week that Shimada used cryptocurrency to move funds to Brazil for the benefit of the PCC, according to O Globo. The Florida court case, however, identifies the beneficiary as Manuel Garcia-Urrea, known as Manny, a Mexican drug supplier, and does not detail which substances were sold.
O Globo notes that the Miami Herald reported in January that the money came from cocaine trafficking. That detail is not independently established in the single source provided here.
The plea accounts describe lower-level couriers collecting and transporting large sums in cities including Chicago, Atlanta, Cleveland, Rochester, Minneapolis, Tampa, Charlotte and Greensboro. Two participants assigned to collections in the Chicago area admitted moving more than $1.5 million and $867,000, respectively, over a short period in 2023.
Brazil’s Federal Police also carried out an operation involving Shimada on Friday, O Globo reported, as US sanctions brought new attention to the alleged laundering network. The available source does not provide further details on the Brazilian operation.