Photo Surfaces Showing Flávio Bolsonaro With 'Sicário' Linked to Banco Master Scheme

A photograph circulating online purportedly shows Flávio Bolsonaro, a pre-candidate for the Liberal Party (PL-RJ), alongside Luiz Phillipi Machado de Moraes Mourão, known as "Sicário." Mourão is identified by the Federal Police as the leader of the intimidation and coercion sector for Banco Master, a financial institution. The image, published by ICL Notícias and reportedly taken in a hotel in Rio de Janeiro in 2022, has been verified as authentic by multiple AI platforms, according to the outlet.

Flávio Bolsonaro has responded to the publication, stating in a social media video that he does not know if the photo is real. He drew a parallel to photos taken by influencer Deolane Bezerra with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, suggesting a lack of recognition for individuals in casual photos. Bezerra is under investigation for money laundering related to the First Capital Command (PCC).

Mourão is described as the central operator of Banco Master's violent wing, managing two teams: "A Turma," responsible for physical threats and accessing state information, and "Os Meninos," focused on cyberattacks. Court documents reportedly reveal conversations between Mourão and Daniel Vorcaro planning a simulated assault on journalist Lauro Jardim of O Globo, aiming to silence negative coverage of the bank.

Before his arrest in Operation Compliance Zero, Mourão had prior offenses including fraud, receiving stolen goods, and forgery. He attempted suicide in his detention cell and was later declared brain-dead. The Banco Master case involves allegations of a pyramid scheme, with Mourão having been indicted by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Minas Gerais in 2021 along with ten others.

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If it's true, certainly, it's one more of the many that I take every day. Thank God, everywhere I go, everyone asks to take a photo [...] I have no way of knowing who the person taking a photo with me is.