Court halts R$ 119 million from swindlers at INSS, including 'INSS Bald Guy'
In the heart of BRAZILIA, the Federal Court has ordered the freeze of a whopping R$ 119 million in assets of companies and their owners under suspicion of scamming senior citizens. Prominent businessman Antonio Carlos Camilo Antunes, infamously known as "the bald man of the INSS," is among those being investigated.
By tapping the communication lines of O TEMPO's WhatsApp channel, you'll find that these decisions form part of five lawsuits filed by the Attorney General's Office (AGU), representing the INSS judicially. The ultimate objective is to deploy the seized funds to repay the retirees and pensioners swindled through illicit deductions from their benefits. Already, requests for reimbursement from the INSS total around 2.5 million claims, amassed over 19 operation days.
Each lawsuit involves freezing assets up to approximately R$ 23.8 million. In these lawsuits, the movable and immovable assets (including financial assets) of eight companies and nine individuals, partners of these companies, have been frozen. Additionally, the banking and fiscal secrecy of the companies and individuals has been lifted.
The AGU reports that a verdict is still pending on another ten similar lawsuits filed at the beginning of May.
Federal Judge Luciana Raquel Tolentino de Moura, of the 7th Federal Court of the Federal District, decreed the immobilization of assets and financial assets in the five lawsuits. One of them involves Venus Consultoria Assessoria Empresarial S/A and its partners Alexandre Guimarães and Rubens Oliveira Costa, as well as the legal entity THJ Consultoria Ltda and its partner Thaisa Hoffmann Jonasson.
Two other lawsuits target the legal entities Prospect Consultoria Empresarial LTDA and Brasília Consultoria Empresarial SA, which have partners Romeu Carvalho Antunes, Milton Salvador de Almeida Junior, and Antonio Carlos Camilo Antunes - "the bald man of the INSS."
The final two verdicts were rendered against the legal entity Curitiba Consultoria em Serviços Médicos S/A and its partners Rubens Oliveira Costa and Thaisa Hoffmann Jonasson, as well as Xavier Fonseca Consultoria Ltda and its partner Maria Paula Xavier da Fonseca Oliveira; and Arpar Administração, Participação e Empreendimentos S/A and its partner Rodrigo Moraes, along with WM System Informática LTDA and its partner Anderson Claudino de Oliveira.
The verdicts were announced between Monday (2) and Tuesday (3), in a series of 15 lawsuits, aiming to block R$ 2.56 billion. Attorney General Jorge Messias mentioned the intention is to use this money to repay retirees and pensioners harmed. The losses inflicted by these scams may amount to as much as R$ 6 billion.
By the decree of the magistrate of the 7th Federal Court of the DF, the original lawsuit presented by the AGU was split into 15 judicial processes.
"This is a request for the total immobilization of the assets of the entities and their leaders to enable us to respond to any unauthorized deduction. This resource will be used as the initial source of reimbursement to retirees," Messias stated.
On May 8, the AGU petitioned for asset freezes against 12 associative entities and their leaders, totaling 60 defendants. The judge ruled that, after the split, each lawsuit should contain a maximum of five defendants.
Alleged Shell Companies
Entities under scrutiny are believed to be shell companies, illusionarily established with the sole purpose of defrauding their beneficiaries. The investigation further highlights that they were bribing public agents to acquire approval for improper deductions.
The amount frozen in each lawsuit, totaling R$23.8 million, is consistent with the nature of the activities committed and the magnitude of the funds moved, which are thought to be at the very least the amount corresponding to the bribes paid to public agents, based on preliminary findings.
- The Attorney General's Office (AGU) has filed five lawsuits against companies and individuals in the realm of politics, general-news, and crime-and-justice, aiming to repay retirees and pensioners swindled through illicit deductions from their benefits.
- Alleged shell companies under investigation are suspected of being established with the sole purpose of defrauding their beneficiaries, and these lawsuits seek to block assets totaling R$23.8 million, a sum consistent with the nature of the activities committed and the funds moved, which are thought to be at least the amount corresponding to the bribes paid to public agents.
