Former civil police officer and former state deputy of Rio de Janeiro Natalino José Guimarães, known as Natalino, was arrested this Wednesday (10), along with six other people, accused of land grabbing in the city of Armação de Búzios, in the region of Lagos. They are all under preventive detention ordered by the courts.
The warrants were issued by the Court Specialized in Criminal Organization of the Capital and served at various addresses in the municipalities of Búzios, Cabo Frio, Rio das Ostras, in addition to the capital of Rio de Janeiro. In total, 12 people were reported for environmental crimes, irregular subdivision of urban land and other illicit acts, in Operation Nova Grilagem.
The investigations began with crime news reporting land invasions by armed groups on several plots of land, in the Estrada da Fazendinha region, in Búzios. According to a complaint from the Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro (MPRJ), the group had been active since 2020, using violent and fraudulent practices to occupy and sell land in the region. Investigations revealed that the organization maintained armed security guards to intimidate residents and property owners, deforested protected areas and promoted fires.
According to the Public Ministry, the group used legal actions without favorable decisions as an argument to justify the invasion and commercialization of the land. According to the criminal case, the leaders promoted the violent invasion of land and placed 24-hour security guards in the invaded areas. Then, they subdivided the area and started selling the land.
According to the complaint, the criminal group teamed up with a company based in Campo Grande, in the west zone of the capital, to promote the subdivision of the invaded area and the sale of the land. Furthermore, lots were donated to people involved with the militia in exchange for providing security services for the invaded lands.
Militia
Along with his brother, Jerônimo Guimarães Filho, Jerominho, also a former civil police officer and councilor in Rio, Natalino was imprisoned between 2007 and 2018. Both are considered founders of the first militia in Rio de Janeiro, the Justice League, created in west zone of the capital.
The militia’s symbol is a bat, and houses that had the figure in front of the property received protection from the paramilitary group.
According to the Civil Police, the group is accused of homicides, extortion and irregular trade in the sale of water and gas cylinders. Jerominho was shot dead in August 2022, the victim of an ambush in Campo Grande, when he was getting out of the car he was driving. He died instantly.
The Justice League was the largest and best-known militia faction in Rio de Janeiro. The name is a reference to a group of comic book superheroes. The group’s symbol is the shield of another comic book character, Batman.
According to the police, in addition to the brothers Jerominho and Natalino, the former councilor’s son-in-law, known by the nickname Batman, participated in the creation of the Justice League. Batman has been imprisoned for several years in a federal prison outside of Rio, due to his involvement with the militia.
