Wiretap catches aide to president of Cachoeira CPI.

247 – An employee of the office of Senator Vital do Rêgo (PMDB-PB), president of the Cachoeira CPI, was caught on a wiretap arranging a payment to the brother of the gambling kingpin's right-hand man. Read more in the Globo article:

An aide to Senator Vital do Rêgo (PMDB-PB), president of the Cachoeira CPI, was caught talking to a member of the group of illegal gambling operator Carlinhos Cachoeira.

A wiretap conducted by the Federal Police with judicial authorization shows the aide, identified as Rui, arranging a meeting with Francisco Marcelo Queiroga, who worked with Cachoeira's gang. Queiroga's phones were tapped, and he is the brother of José Olímpio Queiroga, one of Cachoeira's right-hand men.

At least two conversations were recorded, the first on February 13th of this year, before the start of the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry and the Federal Police's Operation Monte Carlo. Rui asks if Marcelo called his cell phone:

— When I'm there, I can't answer, no.

Marcelo then demands payments from Vital's advisor:

Let's do this: it's good for me, it's good for you. See when you want to pay for this. You give me two checks, that's it. I have one of your checks, I'll give it to you right away. It's such a small amount now.

The aide asks Marcelo to meet him at his office in the Senate. Marcelo, who says he's always moving around the building, asks which office he should go to:

— Vital do Rêgo.

Ricardo Rego?

— Vital do Rêgo. But you don't need to say you're going there. Say you're going to talk to an employee and give my name.

The following day, the Federal Police recorded another conversation. Rui says he arrived late and asks to schedule another meeting. The two agree to talk after Carnival.

Vital do Rêgo said that today he will find out if the employee mentioned in the recordings is the same Rui who works for him.

"If that's the case, I'll ask what this conversation is about. The Rui I know provides me with good services, but he's never mentioned anything like this to me," said Vital.

Rui Brito Souza, an advisor to the senator, acknowledged to GLOBO last night that he is a friend of Marcelo, but that he was unaware of his connection to Cachoeira. He stated that he borrowed money and, therefore, they talk about "cashing checks" in their conversation. Rui said he has "other activities outside" the Senate, such as working as a consultant for radio and television.

— He (Marcelo) is a personal friend of mine and even mentioned to me that his brother had been arrested, but said that everything would be resolved. I didn't discuss it with the senator because my personal life is my own business — he stated.

The senator said that Rui follows the progress of projects in the telecommunications area and had already worked for the senator who preceded him.

Yesterday, Marcelo said he didn't remember that conversation, nor Rui. When asked who he usually associates with in the Senate, he said he has friends there with whom he plays sports.

In the recordings, Marcelo demonstrates control over the game, an activity he avoids mentioning in the conversations. On February 28th, the day Cachoeira was arrested, in a conversation at 19:52 PM, he seems to discuss the activity and says that the day wasn't good at the betting shop:

— It's slow. Coming back from the fields, but it's slow. It's a general thing.

In Espírito Santo, Marcelo and Olímpio were accused in 2004 of killing a person who, five years earlier, had allegedly stolen items from the Queiroga family's house in Vila Velha. Marcelo was even arrested in Vitória, accused of embezzling funds from Banestes, which were allegedly used to boost his bingo operation.

He and his brothers were targeted by the Federal Police in Operation Monte Carlo. His brothers were arrested.