Rio police arrest Rafael Maia Cardoso over alleged inducement of Sabine Boghici's suicide

The Rio de Janeiro Civil Police detained Rafael Maia Cardoso in the Jardim Botânico neighborhood on suspicion of inducing Sabine Coll Boghici to take her own life. Sabine, 49, was the daughter of prominent art collector Geneviève Boghici and died in September 2023 after falling from the fifth floor of a building in the Lagoa area. Her death was initially ruled a suicide, but her mother challenged that conclusion, prompting a reopening of the case.

Investigators say Sabine endured physical abuse, psychological torment and confinement in her apartment. The probe also links the tragedy to a 2022 fraud operation that stole roughly R$725 million in artworks and valuables from Geneviève Boghici, in which Sabine was previously implicated. The renewed investigation follows the mother’s request and led to Cardoso’s preventive arrest.