Mauro Mendes and allies targeted in Brazil's Operation Heritage probe FAST-MOVING
Operation Heritage was launched by Brazil's Federal Police on 6 August 2026 to investigate an alleged scheme that diverted more than R$ 308 million from a settlement between the state of Mato Grosso and the telecom company Oi. The operation was authorized by Supreme Court minister Flávio Dino, who issued 25 search and seizure warrants covering Mato Grosso, São Paulo, Rondônia and Ceará.
Targets include former governor and Senate candidate Mauro Mendes, federal deputy Fábio Garcia and judge Ricardo Almeida, among other officials. Police seized documents, blocked assets worth up to R$ 316 million, confiscated passports and lifted bank‑secrecy orders. The investigation focuses on a network of cascade investment funds and shell companies used to conceal the origin and destination of the money, a structure uncovered after analysis of the Mato Grosso‑Oi agreement.
Entities: Banco Master · Brazilian Federal Police · Fabio Garcia · Federal Police of Brazil · Flávio Dino · Instituto Nacional do Seguro Social (INSS) · Mauro Mendes · Oi · Oi S.A. · Operation Heritage · Operation Heritage · Ricardo Almeida
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 11 SOURCES] Operation Heritage was launched by the Federal Police on 6 August 2026. (new)
- [● 6 SOURCES] The operation was authorized by Supreme Court minister Flávio Dino. (new)
- [● 7 SOURCES] Targets of the operation include former governor Mauro Mendes, deputy Fábio Garcia and judge Ricardo Almeida. (new)
- [● 7 SOURCES] The probe concerns an alleged diversion of more than R$ 308 million from a settlement with telecom company Oi. (new)
- [● 10 SOURCES] Twenty‑five search and seizure warrants were executed in Mato Grosso, São Paulo, Rondônia and Ceará. (new)
- [● 7 SOURCES] The scheme allegedly used cascade investment funds and shell companies to conceal the origin and destination of the money. (new)
- [● 10 SOURCES] Assets worth up to R$ 316 million were blocked and passports of suspects were seized. (new)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The investigation originated from analysis of the settlement agreement between Mato Grosso and Oi. (new)