Freixo is the target of Operation Hidden Carbon on suspicion of money laundering

Freixo is one of the search and seizure targets of the 3rd phase of Operation Hidden Carbon, carried out this Thursday (24) against a money laundering scheme and infiltration of organized crime in the fuel sector.

He became known in Banco Master's investigations after closing a collaboration agreement with the Attorney General's Office (PGR). The statement, signed in August and approved in September by Minister André Mendonça, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), detailed financial operations involving Daniel Vorcaro, owner of the bank.

The businessman is identified by the investigation as leader of the Entre Investimentos Group and as one of the main providers of financial shielding and money laundering services for the criminal organization attributed to Roberto Augusto Leme da Silva, "Beto Louco", and Mohamad Hussein Mourad, known as "Primo". The two are investigated as members of the criminal organization.

The investigation states that the unusual frequency of prizes, the volume moved and the use of lottery outlets caught the attention of control bodies. For the MP, this type of operation can, in theory, be used to give a legal appearance to resources of illicit origin.

The promoters also point out a pattern of triangulation in betting: third parties would make the games, but the prizes would be transferred directly to the accounts of companies linked to Freixo, such as Cactus Assessoria e Serviços Ltda. In one of the examples cited in the investigation, a bet attributed to Patrick Saulo Alves Lacerda would have generated a prize of R$2,389.33 sent to the Cactus account.

According to the MP, the frequency of prizes and the way in which the amounts were moved indicate that the 570 records could be part of a strategy to conceal the origin of the resources, instead of representing actual gains from lucky bets. Prosecutors claim that the pattern may indicate the use of betting as a “money recycling” step.

According to the Public Ministry, EntrePay received R$166,500 from Ceopag, a fintech that would have been used by companies linked to Mohamad Hussein Mourad and Roberto Augusto Leme da Silva, who are on the run.

Another Freixo company, Entre Investimentos, transferred R$620,000 to Quimicolor, identified in the investigation as part of a structure related to payments involving methanol that had been diverted to adulterate fuels.

The existence of these transactions does not mean that Freixo was identified as a member of the criminal organization. The investigation seeks to clarify the context and purpose of the movements.

Freixo started working at the age of 14 as an office boy, worked in the financial market and, in 2016, founded Grupo Entre. He was also the target of Operation Compliance Zero, which investigated Banco Master.