A report by the National Forum Against Piracy points out that Márcio Poncio's family business group accumulates R$2.9 billion in debts to the Union.
Poncio was once again the target of the Federal Police in the 9th phase of Operation Nail and Flesh, launched this Thursday (29). The investigation investigates money laundering.
The survey identified that the properties acquired by the family and related companies total R$49.2 million. Of this total, 13 properties had unavailability notes.
The forum located at least 5 ICMS tax enforcement processes in Rio de Janeiro. The updated charges reach R$13 million.
The document relates the family business to the bookmaker Adilsinho. He is identified as influential in the illegal cigarette trade in Rio de Janeiro.
A report by the National Forum Against Piracy and Illegality (FNCP) states that the business group linked to the family of pastor Márcio Poncio accumulates R$2.929 billion in active debt with the Union. According to the document, the amount was calculated in the 2nd quarter of 2025 and includes federal tax debts, fines and interest.
The FNCP survey also shows that companies and family members appear associated with the same debts due to joint liability. Therefore, according to the forum, the values recorded individually should not be added together. After eliminating duplications, the FNCP reached a total of R$2,929,182,175.11.
g1 questioned Poncio's defense regarding the dossier and is awaiting a response.
New searches this week
Poncio was once again the target of the Federal Police (PF) in the 9th phase of Operation Nail and Flesh, launched this Thursday (29). The PF investigates a criminal organization involved in money laundering and hiding assets and valuables.
During the operation, agents went out to execute 4 search and seizure warrants in Barra da Tijuca, in the Southwest Zone of Rio. The PF claimed to have identified evidence of a property network that includes high-end properties, executive aircraft, luxury vehicles and companies registered in the names of family members, employees and third parties.
Poncio had already been arrested in the 5th phase of Unha e Carne, on July 2. Subsequently, the STF converted preventive detention into home detention. According to the PF, the new stage of the investigation originated from the analysis of data extracted from his cell phone.
Billion-dollar debt
According to the FNCP, the debt of R$2.9 billion comprises federal taxes such as IPI, PIS, Cofins, CSLL and IRPJ, in addition to FGTS, fines and interest. The report states that the group has accumulated debts since the early 2000s and points to a sharp increase in debts in 2011.
Among the companies and people listed in the report are Clean Indústria e Comércio de Cigarros; Distributor Gudang Brasil; New Ficet Industry and Commerce of Cigarettes Import and Export; Win Cigarette Distributor; M1 Cigarette Distributor; UM44K Produções e Eventos Artísticos, a band in which Saulo, his son, was a member; Simone Poncio Silva de Souza, the wife, and Sarah Poncio Silva de Souza, daughter and state deputy.
The FNCP emphasizes that debts appear repeated between companies and people due to joint liability and, therefore, do not represent independent debts that can be added together.
Real Estate
The FNCP claims to have carried out documentary research involving 84 legal entities and individuals in records from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Aparecida de Goiânia. The survey found 292 document records and analyzed, among other materials, real estate registrations and business documents.
According to the forum, the properties acquired by the family and related companies total R$49,286,345.50. The report also says that 13 properties had a note of unavailability or listing of assets due to tax debts.
Between 2018 and 2023, according to the FNCP, companies listed in the survey acquired 16 properties, valued in the document at a total of R$44.2 million. Among them, the forum highlights a house in Mangaratiba, purchased for R$9 million by TSB Administradora, and an apartment on Avenida Lúcio Costa, in Rio, purchased for R$22 million by SMP ADM.
The report also states that, in 2025, Sarah Poncio acquired a commercial space on Avenida das Américas for R$723,883.50.
ICMS charges in Rio
The FNCP also researched tax executions related to ICMS in the State of Rio. According to the report, at least 5 state treasury processes were located that totaled R$10.6 million and which, according to the document, would currently reach R$13 million after updating.
In one of these processes, according to the FNCP, 3 properties in Recife were located to serve as collateral for a debt. The report states that a seizure was determined, but that, until the consultation carried out for the survey, there was no confirmation in the records that the measure had been carried out.
Illegal cigarette market
The FNCP report also provides an overview of the illegal cigarette market in the country. According to the forum, 31% of cigarettes sold in Brazil come from the illegal market. Ipsos Ipec research cited in the document points out that, in 2025, this market moved 32 billion units.
According to the FNCP, evasion attributed to the illegal market reached R$8.5 billion in 2025, while the formal tobacco sector collected R$26.5 billion in IPI, PIS/Cofins and ICMS. The forum estimates the accumulated losses over the last 12 years at R$110 billion.
Edson Vismona, president of the FNCP, states in the report that the advance of organized crime in this market is related to the high profitability and territorial control of commerce.
Connection with Adilsinho
The FNCP report also links the Poncio family business to the surroundings of Adilson Oliveira Coutinho Filho, known as Adilsinho. According to the document, the bicheiro exerts influence over the illegal trade of cigarettes in areas of Rio and Baixada Fluminense.
Adilsinho has also appeared in Operation Nail and Flesh investigations. In the 5th phase, the PF investigated payments linked to Jogo do Bicho and the so-called “Cigarette Mafia” to public agents.
In the 9th phase, launched this Thursday, one of the targets was Bernardo Coutinho Loyola, Adilsinho's nephew and identified by the PF as one of the main operators of the investigated scheme.
According to the Federal Police, the analysis of Márcio Poncio's cell phone revealed new addresses, business structures and property assets that would have been used by the investigated group in the administration, concealment and movement of resources.
