Video misleads by claiming that Nego Di’s arrest was the result of political persecution

The post is misleading in stating that influencer Dilson Alves da Silva Neto, known as Nego Di, was arrested because he was being persecuted for criticizing the Lula (PT) government during the floods in Rio Grande do Sul.

There is no evidence that the comedian’s arrest was carried out for political reasons. As verified by Comprova, the influencer was arrested on July 14 in an operation launched by the Civil Police of Rio Grande do Sul, which is investigating a crime of fraud committed against 370 people. The authorities have been investigating the case since 2022 — therefore, before Lula’s inauguration.

The comedian was also the target of Operation Rifa$, launched on July 12 by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Rio Grande do Sul, through the Gaeco (Special Task Force to Combat Organized Crime) and the Specialized Criminal Prosecutor’s Office of Porto Alegre. The former BBB and his wife, Gabriela Sousa, are accused of laundering around R$2 million through illegal online raffles and fraud on social media.

The verified video, published by YouTuber Ricardo Albuquerque, known as Peter Turguniev, reveals that digital influencer Monark had warned Nego Di about a possible “persecution”. In the video, Peter presents a screenshot of X in which the former podcaster advises the comedian to buy bitcoins and be prepared to leave the country. In response, Nego Di dismissed the advice and stated that there is “a chasm” between the attitudes and words of the two.

The conversation took place between May 14 and 15, shortly after the Court of Justice ruled that Nego Di should delete posts with false information about the floods. He even posted, for example, an old video of a person killed in another tragedy as if it had been recorded in Rio Grande do Sul. The Court ordered the immediate deletion of the posts and prohibited the influencer from repeating the false statements, under penalty of a fine of R$100,000.

After the comedian’s response, Monark reposted a comment from a follower agreeing with the warning made to Nego Di and stated that the influencer “still believes that one can be free and not suffer the consequences.”

Contrary to what the verified video says, all complaints were made at the state level, through the Civil Police and the Public Ministry of Rio Grande do Sul, without the participation of federal agencies.

Regarding Nego Di’s arrest, the head of the Civil Police of Rio Grande do Sul, Fernando Sodré, denied in an interview with CNN that the detention was motivated by political persecution. He highlighted that the investigations began before Lula’s inauguration and any political-partisan demonstrations made by Nego Di. According to Sodré, the investigation was concluded in 2023, before the floods.

The investigator also points out that the evidence in the case is technical and that, for the police, there is no doubt that the influencer has entered into an improper and illicit process.

Nego Di’s defense stated that the arrest of Anderson Bonetti, identified as the influencer’s partner, on July 22 is “decisive for clarifying the facts and proving the innocence of the digital content creator”. Lawyers Tatiana Borsa and Camila Kersch also reinforced that the case is being processed in secret and, for this reason, the defense will speak at an opportune moment.

The report also contacted the author of the video, but there was no response until the publication of this text.

Misleading, according to Comprova, is content taken out of its original context and used in another context in such a way that its meaning changes; that uses inaccurate data or that induces an interpretation different from the intention of its author; content that confuses, with or without the deliberate intention of causing harm.

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Read the full verification on the Comprova website.