A lawyer and cattle rancher reported to police the alleged diversion of more than BR1.3m from his bank accounts in Sorriso, a municipality in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. The funds were used to finance online betting activity.
According to the police report, the case came to light after the employee responsible for managing the victim’s livestock administration system informed him that money was missing from his accounts.
When questioned, the former employee allegedly confessed to diverting approximately BR55,000, claiming the amount had been used for online gambling.
Following the confession, the victim reviewed his bank statements and identified a far larger discrepancy.
He told authorities that the alleged transfers occurred over a four-month period and involved three separate bank accounts, with total losses exceeding BR1m.
While BR408,000 was later returned, the estimated financial damage remains above BR970k.
In testimony given to local media, the lawyer stated that the scale of the losses only became clear after he conducted a full audit of his accounts.
He also reported that part of the diverted funds had been transferred to the bank account of the employee’s mother.
Police say the suspect used multiple transfers and, in some cases, returned small amounts on the same day in an apparent attempt to avoid detection.
Recently, Brazilian authorities have also opened inquiries into the alleged misuse of public and private funds from the education sector to fund gambling activity.
This current investigation remains ongoing and authorities have yet to disclose whether formal charges have been filed.
Brazil’s Ministry of Finance recently created a national forum to coordinate gambling regulation and oversight across federal and state authorities
