Group that pretended to be 17 senators and deputies is the target of an operation

In the early hours of this Tuesday (27), the Civil Police of the Federal District (PCDF) launched the “High Escalão 2” operation against a group that posed as 17 senators and deputies to carry out scams on social networks.

The action, with the support of the civil police of Piauí (PCPI) and Maranhão (PCMA), carries out eight search and seizure warrants in the cities of Timon (MA) and Teresina (PI). The objective is to deepen the investigations and identify all members of the criminal organization operating throughout Brazil, specializing in electronic fraud crimes.

According to the investigation, the criminal association is made up of a 26-year-old man and four women – aged 22, 25, 41 and 43 –, identified as those responsible for contacting the victims and pretending to be politicians, especially senators, in fake Whatsapp profiles.

According to delegate Ataliba Neto, responsible for the 5th Police Station, the authors, posing as parliamentarians, contacted the victims and informed them that a donation was available, however, due to a deadline that was about to run out, they requested commitment victims to make a cash deposit to the driver of a truck in which the products were to be delivered to the victim's region.

During the investigation, the following parliamentarians were identified as victims:

Senators:
Humberto Costa, PT-PE
Paulo Paim, PT-RS
Teresa Leitão, PT-PE
Ana Paula Lobato, PSB-MA
Carlos Viana, Podemos-MG
Soraya Thronicke União-MS
Marcio Bittar, União-AC
Esperidião Amin, PP-SC
Luis Carlos Heinze, PP-RS
Marcelo Castro, MDB-PI
Vanderlan Cardoso, PSD-GO

Deputies:
André Janones, Avante-MG
Rogério Corrêa, PT-MG
Natalia Bonavides, PT-RN
Diego Andrade, PSD-MG

Mayors
Amazan Silva, Jardim do Seridó – RN
Paulo Roberto Leite from Arruda, Vitória de Santo Antão – PE

The investigation began in June 2023, after some victim senators went to the police station to report crimes using their names. The perpetrators must answer for the crimes of criminal association, false identity and embezzlement, whose combined sentences can reach nine years in prison.