No Discount: Federal Police launches new phase of operation investigating billion-dollar fraud at INSS (Brazilian Social Security Institute).
The operation serves 66 warrants in eight states and the Federal District. Federal Police targets a group accused of embezzling R$ 6,3 billion.
247 - The Federal Police launched this Thursday (9) a new phase of the operation that investigates a scheme of fraud and billions of dollars in pensions and retirement benefits from the National Institute of Social Security (INSS). The action is carrying out 66 search and seizure warrants issued by the Supreme Federal Court (STF) in nine states of the federation.
According to the g1The warrants were distributed among São Paulo (45), Sergipe (12), Amazonas (1), Rio Grande do Norte (1), Santa Catarina (2), Pernambuco (2), Bahia (2) and the Federal District (1). According to the Federal Police, the objective is to deepen investigations into crimes of data falsification in public systems, corruption, embezzlement, money laundering and criminal organization.
Operation structure and main targets
The investigations target three companies suspected of operating the money laundering structure of the scheme. Among those investigated is Antônio Carlos Camilo Antunes, known as "the bald guy from INSS," identified as a lobbyist and facilitator for the group. The Federal Police state that entities and associations focused on retirees registered beneficiaries without their consent, using forged signatures, to deduct monthly fees directly from the benefits paid by INSS (Brazilian National Social Security Institute).
In April, when the first phase of the operation came to light, the then-president of INSS, Alessandro Stefanutto, was dismissed. At the time, the Federal Police estimated that the losses caused between 2019 and 2024 may have reached R$ 6,3 billion.
Arrests and seizures
In this new phase, two preventive arrest warrants and 13 search and seizure warrants are being executed in São Paulo and the Federal District, authorized by Supreme Court Justice André Mendonça. During the operation, agents seized luxury cars — including a Ferrari, a Land Rover, a Porsche, a Mercedes, and even a Formula 1 car — as well as works of art found in the residence and office of lawyer Nelson Wilians in São Paulo.
In a statement, Wilians' defense team said that he "has been fully cooperating with the authorities and trusts that the investigation will demonstrate his complete innocence," adding that "his relationship with one of the suspects is strictly professional and legal."
Scheme and operation of the frauds
According to the Federal Police and the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU), the group operated on several fronts to manipulate data and defraud the social security system. The investigated entities, according to the agencies, offered bribes to INSS (National Institute of Social Security) employees to obtain confidential beneficiary data, used forged signatures to authorize deductions, and created shell associations, many of them registered in the names of elderly and low-income individuals.
The investigation began at the CGU (Comptroller General of the Union) in 2023, within the administrative scope. After the detection of criminal evidence, the case was forwarded to the Federal Police in 2024.
Defense of those under investigation
The defense of Antônio Carlos Camilo Antunes, the "bald guy from INSS," informed TV Globo that they intend to seek their client's release. Meanwhile, the defense of businessman Maurício Camisotti, arrested in São Paulo, stated that there is "no reason whatsoever to justify his arrest within the scope of the operation" and denounced what they called "arbitrariness committed during the police action."
According to the lawyers, Camisotti "had his cell phone taken from his hands at the exact moment he was speaking with his lawyer," which would constitute illegal coercion. The defense also stated that it will adopt "all appropriate legal measures to reverse the arrest and ensure full respect for the businessman's fundamental rights."
Assets and valuables under suspicion.
According to investigations, Antunes allegedly transferred R$ 9,3 million between 2023 and 2024 to individuals connected to INSS (Brazilian National Social Security Institute) employees. The Federal Police are investigating whether these funds originated from bribes paid to maintain the scheme of illegal deductions from benefits.
The investigations remain under judicial secrecy. The Federal Police state that the objective is "to clarify the commission of crimes and identify all those responsible for the misappropriation of public funds."
