Journalist Jefferson Coronel is arrested after police find child sexual abuse material on cell phone

Journalist Jefferson Coronel was arrested this Sunday (8), in São Paulo. The arrest occurred as part of the Amazonas Civil Police investigation investigating the dissemination and manipulation of images on social media involving the teenage daughter of elected governor Omar Aziz (PSD).

The case began after Omar Aziz reported that the campaign of the candidate defeated in the 2nd round for the government of Amazonas, Professor Maria do Carmo (PL), had used images of his daughter as a child when they accused him of pedophilia. Coronel joined the team.

An address linked to the journalist, in Manaus, was the target of a PC-AM operation on October 29th. Search and seizure warrants were executed. According to information obtained by Rede Amazônica, on a cell phone belonging to Coronel, the police identified images of child sexual abuse.

Faced with the material, the Civil Police found a violation of the Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA) and ordered the opening of a second investigation, just to investigate the material found on the electronic device that was in the possession of the marketer.

Jefferson Coronel was arrested in the capital of São Paulo. Agents from the São Paulo Civil Police provided support in executing the arrest warrant issued by the Amazonas Court.

g1 tries to locate Jefferson Coronel's defense.

Operation seized Maria do Carmo's assets days before

On Friday (6), the Civil Police of Amazonas seized Professor Maria do Carmo's cell phone and personal computer, during the execution of a search and seizure warrant at her residence, in the Vieiralves neighborhood, in Manaus.

Maria do Carmo's defense criticized the operation and, in a statement, denounced political persecution and pointed out possible abuses of authority. The lawyers also stated that legal guarantees and legal prerogatives would not have been respected during the investigation.

Maria do Carmo was not at home when the police arrived to comply with the court order. She arrived at the property at around 6:18 am, when the investigations had already begun.

Delegate Marcelo Martins, who took over conducting the investigation as determined by the General Civil Police Station, stated that there was resistance during the operation, but that the team managed to comply with the warrant.

"It was a difficult process. We encountered some resistance during the execution of the warrant, as we had some discussions about some technical, legal issues, about the scope of the warrant. But we managed to comply with the court order. We seized Maria do Carmo's cell phone and her personal computer. Data from these devices will be extracted from this material and we will analyze this material to try to assess her participation in this crime", he explained.

Understand the case

The investigation gained repercussions on October 25th, when Omar Aziz (PSD) spoke about the case in his first speech after confirming his victory in the elections. On that occasion, the elected governor accused members of Professor Maria do Carmo's campaign of violating the Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA).

According to Omar, during the election campaign, images of his daughter as a child, sitting on her father's lap, were used on social media when they accused him of pedophilia. Omar criticized the teenager's exposure and stated that he would take legal action against those responsible.

The case began to be investigated by the Civil Police, which is investigating the dissemination and manipulation of images involving the teenager and possible crimes covered by the ECA.

The search and seizure had been authorized by the Court during the investigation. On October 29, Maria do Carmo spontaneously went to the police station and made herself available to investigators, according to the defense.

The following day, an injunction temporarily suspended the search and seizure in relation to the former candidate. The defense claimed that she had made herself available to deliver electronic devices.

On Tuesday (3), judge Paulo Feitoza revoked the injunction and reestablished authorization for the investigation. The decision considered the need to preserve digital evidence that could be erased or modified.

The investigation is conducted by the Specialized Police Station for Child and Adolescent Protection (Depca).