Lawyer Jéssica Cabral Barradas was arrested this Friday (2) on Ilha do Governador. She is suspected of embezzling assets from a 90-year-old woman.
During a search of his apartment, police found original documents belonging to the deceased victim. The investigated cell phone was found hidden in a bathroom drain.
Jéssica was a neighbor of the elderly woman and was appointed curator in 2014. The police identified bank transfers from the victim's account to the lawyer's personal account.
There were financial transactions and purchases after the pensioner's death in 2019. Jéssica is legally responsible for 16 crimes related to the elderly woman's assets.
The person being investigated has records for other crimes and will have electronics analyzed. The recognized cutlery and watch will be returned to the victim's son.
Lawyer Jéssica Cabral Barradas suspected of embezzling money from a 90-year-old woman is arrested with the victim's documents, watch and gold cutlery — Photo: Reproduction
A 35-year-old lawyer was arrested red-handed this Friday (2), in the North Zone of Rio, after police officers found in her apartment the original documents of a 90-year-old woman who died seven years ago. According to the Civil Police, Jéssica Cabral Barradas was the woman's curator and is being investigated for embezzling money and withholding documents and assets from the former curate.
The arrest occurred during the execution of a search and seizure warrant at the lawyer's apartment, in Cacuia, on Ilha do Governador. The action was carried out by agents from the 37th DP (Ilha do Governador), accompanied by representatives from the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB-RJ).
According to the corporation, police officers found the elderly woman's original identity card and death certificate, who died in July 2019.
The Civil Police reported that the victim's son had been collecting the documents for around seven years. According to the report presented to investigators, the lawyer said that the papers were stored in boxes.
Jéssica was arrested in the act and charged with concealment of a public document. During the operation, the police also looked for the lawyer's cell phone. According to the investigation, the device had been authorized by the Court for seizure and subsequent data extraction.
According to the Civil Police, the phone was not initially located. After more than an hour of searching, agents found the device hidden inside the bathroom drain.
The corporation claims that the lawyer had placed the cell phone at the location to prevent it from being seized.
In addition to the telephone, electronic equipment, jewelry and gold-plated cutlery were collected.
At the police station, according to the police, the elderly woman's son recognized the cutlery and a watch as belonging to his mother. The objects had already been described by him in a previous statement.
Lawyer was appointed curator in 2014
According to the investigation, Jéssica was a neighbor of the elderly woman, who lived alone in Cocotá, also on Ilha do Governador. The woman received a military pension and benefits from the National Social Security Institute (INSS).
In 2014, Jéssica was appointed curator of the elderly woman by the courts and began to manage her interests and assets.
According to the Civil Police, the resources should be used for the benefit of the pensioner. The investigation, however, identified money transfers from the elderly woman's account to the lawyer's personal account.
Investigators also found financial transactions that would have occurred after the woman's death.
According to the corporation, six days after the death there was a transfer of money from the elderly woman's account to the lawyer, followed by a withdrawal. The investigation also identified purchases made with the victim's card in the year following the death.
Lawyer already responds to other cases
The Civil Police reported that Jéssica is already facing justice for 16 crimes related to the assets of the former guardianship.
There are 12 charges of appropriation of income from an elderly person, two qualified thefts through fraud and two ideological falsehoods.
According to the investigation, the accusations are also related to the alleged omission of income in the financial statements presented during the administration of the elderly woman's assets.
The police emphasize that the accusations are still the subject of legal proceedings.
Documents would have made inventory difficult
According to the victim's son's report to the police, the retention of documents made it difficult to open the inventory and regularize the succession.
The Civil Police states that, even after several demands, the original documents were not returned. According to the corporation, the lawyer even sent photographs of the papers, which would indicate that she knew where they were.
The son also reported that he needed to obtain a duplicate of the death certificate to activate his mother's life insurance. According to him, the document was only obtained in 2023.
The original documents were located this Friday (2) by police officers in the lawyer's apartment.
Objects will be examined
According to the Civil Police, the seized electronic devices will be subjected to data extraction.
The cutlery and watch recognized by the elderly woman's son will undergo examination and evaluation. The corporation informed that, subsequently, the objects must be returned to the heir.
After the procedures at the police station, Jéssica will be taken to court. Investigations continue at the 37th DP (Ilha do Governador).
Criminal history
The Civil Police also reported that, according to the background check carried out during the investigation, the lawyer has records related to other crimes, such as coercion during the process, stalking, theft, threats and false identity.
The cases are different from the investigation that led to the arrest in the act this Friday.
