The Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro arrested on Tuesday, 13th, several horses valued at R$ 6 million, 12 vehicles - including a luxury car worth over R$ 1.77 million - and R$ 220 million allegedly diverted from public coffers. The assets were blocked by Operation Caballus, which investigates a money laundering and bid-rigging scheme in Campos dos Goytacazes, in the North Fluminense region. The agents of the Department-General of Combating Corruption, Organized Crime, and Money Laundering (DGCOR-LD) found that the criminal group operated through at least three shell companies. These companies won bids held by municipalities in the state of Rio de Janeiro, mainly in Campos dos Goytacazes. According to the Civil Police, the contracts had the purpose of providing medicines and hospital supplies, diverting public funds, allegedly illegally collected, to the leader of the gang. In addition to the diversion of public funds, the investigation identified suspicious transactions of money laundering. Part of the values transferred to the contracted companies by municipalities was used to pay taxes related to a horse farm owned by the main suspect. The operation found that the suspect has high purchasing power, being a partner in several companies and owner of a horse farm, a boat, and several high-end vehicles. During the investigation, suspicious transactions were identified by investigators and intermediaries, from 2018 to 2023. In this period, there was financial movement of at least R$ 220 million. See what was seized The operation marks the conclusion of the first phase of the investigations, in which 10 search and seizure warrants were executed against six targets. Also, a judicial block was requested on the R$ 220 million belonging to the criminal group. In this stage, the following were seized: computers, cell phones, 45 horses valued at approximately R$ 6 million, 12 vehicles - including three luxury cars from the Porsche (valued at R$ 1.7 million), Dodge RAM (R$ 370,000) and BMW X1 (R$ 350,000) - as well as tricycles, quadricycles, tractors, and various documents.
https://jornaldebrasilia.com.br/noticias/politica-e-poder/operacao-no-rj-bloqueia-r-220-milhoes-de-grupo-que-fraudava-licitacoes/