US sanctions Brazilian financiers linked to PCC laundering scheme

On 1 July 2026 the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on two Brazilian nationals—Victor Henrique de Oliveira Shimada and Stella Stefanie Nunes Henrique de Oliveira—and on four companies: Victory Trading Intermediação de Negócios Cobranças e Tecnologia Ltda, Pixwave Soluções de Pagamentos Ltda, Wave Construções Inteligentes Ltda, and the Portuguese firm Avenidas Flutuantes Unipessoal Ltd. The sanctions allege that Shimada acted as the “fundamental link” between the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) operating in Florida and international drug traffickers, laundering more than US$30 million (about R$156 million) through cryptocurrency transfers and a network of shell companies. Funds were reportedly moved to Brazil in connection with a scandal involving the Corinthians football club’s sponsorship by the betting firm VaideBet. The U.S. Treasury labeled the PCC the “largest transnational criminal organization in the Western Hemisphere” after the Trump administration designated it a foreign terrorist organization. The measures block any assets the designated persons and entities hold under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibit U.S. persons from conducting transactions with them. Brazil’s government has opened investigations into the alleged money‑laundering activities and expressed concern about possible indirect effects on Brazilian financial institutions, while officials such as Finance Minister Dario Durigan warned against external interference in domestic security matters. Gene Lange, the U.S. under‑secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said the designation “is another step … to address the growing illicit revenue generation of the PCC within our borders.”