A criminal organization that acts in the form of a financial pyramid and in the practice of crimes against the National Financial System is the target of Operation Quéfren, by the Federal Police, this Tuesday (3). The PF estimates that around 120 people were injured, with an estimated loss of R$ 15 million.
In total, the agents fulfill 11 warrants issued by the 1st Federal Court of Itajaí/SC, three of them for temporary arrest and eight for search and seizure, at addresses in the Santa Catarina cities of Balneário Camboriú, Tubarão and Camboriú and also in the São Paulo city of Barueri. In addition to complying with arrest and search and seizure warrants, the PF is blocking and seizing assets on behalf of individuals and legal entities in the organization.
The criminals were indicted for crimes of criminal organization, embezzlement, money laundering and crimes against the national financial system.
Historic
According to the investigation, the gang has about 20 people and began its illegal activities in 2019, through the creation of companies that operated in the form of digital banking, without authorization from the Central Bank and the Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM). The group acted with the false promise of returns above market interest, raising financial resources in the form of cash deposits or through cryptocurrency trading.
“It was possible to identify that the main company involved closed its activities in 2021, claiming that all client investments would be blocked in a cryptocurrency brokerage account. Later, the same company filed a police report accusing an Italian celebrity of appropriating the funds. It is suspected, however, that they may be fictitious stories with the aim of the investigated to impersonate victims and evade the investor’s charge”, detailed the PF in a note.
The operation’s name refers to the second largest monument in Ancient Egypt, the Pyramid of Khafre, built more than 4,500 years ago.
