Brazil Federal Police uncover 29.3 million‑real political cash scheme

Brazilian Federal Police seized spreadsheets from alleged bicheiro Adilson Oliveira Coutinho Filho, known as Adilsinho, during his February arrest in Cabo Frio, Rio de Janeiro. The documents, part of Operation Unha e Carne, detail a total of R$ 29.3 million linked to candidates and political agents. One sheet lists individual amounts that add up to R$ 21.9 million, while two other sheets record R$ 7.4 million in suspicious movements—R$ 6.3 million in cash and about R$ 1.1 million in bank transactions. Federal Police describe the records as a “parallel accounting” and intend to cross‑reference the names and amounts with banking, fiscal, electoral and campaign‑finance data to identify possible illegal financing of officials who later defended the group’s interests. The Supreme Court’s Alexandre de Moraes cited the spreadsheets in a decision but did not reveal the individuals named. Adilsinho’s defense denies he produced the sheets or paid public officials. The former president of the Rio de Janeiro Legislative Assembly, Rodrigo Bacellar, was taken to the Police after his arrest in the same probe.