Appointed as leader of the gang that defrauded Brazilian football bettingBruno Lopez would have involved his parents and in-laws in the scheme and asked his mother to “pray hard” for the coup to work, show telephone conversations intercepted by the Public Ministry of Goiás and obtained by Sheet.
In communications, Bruno and his partner, Camila Silva da Mota, cite bets made with the names of the couple’s parents and complain that the sites would be restricting some accounts.
“I’m finishing making the entries […] your father is gone, your mother is gone”, he says to Camila in the late afternoon of February 11 of this year — Saturday with a round of state championships. “Everyone has gone, only your mother who is limited [pela plataforma]”, complete.
Later that day, Bruno calls a woman who has not been identified by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, but whom he calls mother. “Just to let you know the operation was done, [queria pedir para] If you put your strong prayers into practice, everything will be all right”, he says. “Amen, it’s done”, replies the woman.
Contacted by phone and message, Bruno’s lawyer did not respond to questions until the publication of this report.
The group used robots to maximize the operation and the CPF of third parties to try to circumvent the monitoring of betting sites and the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation)which identifies when many bids are made by the same login.
In some cases, account restrictions are imposed, otherwise the results of a given match may be void.
According to the MP, Bruno led the gang that recruited players to manipulate football results and profit from a fraudulent sports betting scheme.
So far, the Public Ministry of Goiás denounced to Justice 15 athletes, who became defendants, in addition to the operators and financiers of the scheme. Now, the investigation seeks to identify new names involved and also understand how the profit money was laundered.
The Maximum Penalty operation began in November 2022, after the Public Ministry was contacted by the president of Vila Nova, Hugo Jorge Bravo, who wanted to report one of the cases.
The first phase was triggered in February, and the second in April. It was found that the group played in 2023 state matches and in the 2022 Brazilian Championship, including in the first division. So far, there is no evidence to indicate that the elite of this year’s nationals were targeted.
According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the group operated in nuclei. Bruno, in addition to leading the entire operation, commanded the main one, called bettors, which Camila is also part of.
The main cores of the scheme
- the punters: headed by Bruno Lopez de Moura, there were five people who placed the bets –following what was agreed with players– and collected the winnings
- the investors: led by Thiago Chambó Andrade, there were three members who funded the scheme
- Os brokers: were responsible for finding and co-opting players
Font: MP-GO
In the intercepted conversations, Bruno cites bets made on behalf of other people, who have not yet had their role identified by the investigation. He also reveals that the group was struggling to use some of the accounts, including his partner’s mother’s.
“Everyone has gone, just your mother who is limited”, he says to Camila. “The rest, we’re already in [com] everything, now, thank God. And it’s getting even more,” he adds.
Later, on the phone call with his mother, he brings it up again. Bruno says that, in the account of another person known to them, in addition to his mother-in-law, the amount that “entered” was restricted by the betting site to R$ 5 in the first and R$ 113 in the second.
“I don’t know why, but anyway, there are some games going on now, it started now, and others tomorrow”, he adds, before asking his mother for more prayers for the scheme to work. She replies that “God willing […] It’s all worked out”, and the two say goodbye.
In addition to the parents, the couple also involved other family members in the scheme, such as Zildo Peixoto Neto, Camila’s cousin.
In a statement to the Public Ministry revealed by the newspaper O Globo and to which the Sheet had access, Zildo says that he was approached by Bruno, who would have said that, if he were authorized to open an account in his name, “he would pay a percentage of what he earned” —in this case, 10%.
In the case file, more than 50 players were cited. Of the 15 denounced, four admitted guilt and entered into a non-criminal prosecution agreement with the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
