Ribeira vice-mayor dies in car accident amid corruption probe

Juliana Maria Teixeira da Costa, the vice-mayor of Ribeira in São Paulo, Brazil, died at age 40 following a car accident on the SP-250 highway. The municipality has declared three days of official mourning.

At the time of her death, Costa was under investigation by the São Paulo Public Prosecutor's Office. She was accused of participating in a criminal association between 2021 and 2024 that allegedly defrauded health sector biddings. Specifically, she was accused of misappropriating R$ 41.2 thousand from the Municipal Health Fund to pay for a spiritual ritual, described as an ‘amarração amorosa’ (love spell), intended to influence the romantic life of a public servant.

The investigation suggested that the funds were funneled through a company called W. F. Da Silva Treinamentos Ltda. Costa had previously served as the Municipal Secretary of Health before becoming vice-mayor.