A Federal Revenue report delivered to the Federal Police states that former waiter Glaidson Acácio dos Santos, known as the “bitcoin pharaoh”, would have used a lawyer like orange to convert cryptocurrencies into R$ 228 million even after his arrest.
Still in prison, the former waiter joined the Christian Democracy party in April and earlier this month announced his candidacy for federal deputy.
In an inquiry into Operation Kryptos, the PF says, based on tax data, that “several transactions indicate that the criminal organization remained active even after the outbreak of the operation and the arrest of the first suspects”.
The transactions would have taken place through the lawyer Eliane Medeiros de Lima, arrested in February this year. She had her name included on the radar of the police and the Federal Prosecutor’s Office after the outbreak of Kryptos, on August 25, 2021, which arrested Glaidson on suspicion of running a billionaire financial pyramid scheme and money laundering.
Eliane is identified as “one of the main recipients of resources of the criminal organization” and her activity, according to the investigators, had been “essential for the survival of the criminal organization after the outbreak of Operation Kryptos”.
Glaidson’s defense denies wrongdoing attributed to him. The lawyer’s representative, in turn, did not respond until the report was published.
The scheme was reported by TV Globo on August 22, 2021 and, three days later, the PF triggered Kryptos.
After the report and on the eve of the police action, what investigators classify as “a race to liquidate crypto assets in the possession of the criminal organization” began.
According to the survey, Eliane Medeiros played the central role, with the collaboration of Malta Intermediação de Negócios e Consultoria Ltda. The company would have been responsible for intermediating the sale of cryptocurrencies that were in the possession of Glaidson’s organization.
Malta has as partners Rogério Rosendo da Silva and Guilherme Silva Nunes — this founder, partner and director of Capitual, a company that makes it possible to withdraw in reais from Binance, the largest cryptocurrency brokerage in the world, and which holds half of the Brazilian market in this segment.
Last week, Binance broke its contract with Capitual.
According to the investigation, Eliane would act from Campo Grande, as a partner in the company GLA Serviços de Tecnologia Ltda — a company that, according to the investigation, had Glaidson as a hidden partner.
In a statement to the MPF, Rogério Rosendo, from Malta, states that he has been transacting with Eliane since 2020, but that, as of the month of Krypto, these transactions have become “almost daily”.
Malta received cryptocurrencies from Eliane and, after liquidating these assets on the market, deposited the corresponding amounts in reais in her company accounts.
In all, investigators say, as of August 24, 2021, a total equivalent to more than BRL 228 million was deposited.
Between the 24th and 31st of August alone, Malta made payments of BRL 200.6 million to GLA and another company on behalf of Eliane.
Investigators claim that the activity of selling cryptocurrencies by Eliane, through the company Malta, “intensified even more after the outbreak of Operation Kryptos” and assess the transactions as “a clear challenge to the Brazilian judicial system”.
Through his current lawyer, Murilo Cobucci, Glaidson Acácio dos Santos denies any type of irregularity in the transactions carried out by his brokerage.
“The facts did not happen according to the MPF’s narrative, throughout the investigation. Glaidson Acácio dos Santos’ innocence will be proven”, said Cobucci.
Through their advice, Capitual and the P2P trading desk Malta stated that the negotiations carried out by the cryptocurrency brokerage of “Eliane Medeiros de Lima were blocked as soon as information about the ongoing investigations was obtained”.
In a statement, Binance said it had switched from Capitual to another company, aiming to “offer a better solution for customers.”
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