The former CEO of HURB, João Ricardo Rangel Mendes, was to steal works of art. The action was recorded by security cameras of a hotel and a mall in Barra da Tijuca, west of the city, which helped the police identify it.
How the thefts occurred
According to the investigation, Mendes stole works of art in two places: a hotel and an architectural office. In at least one of the actions, he disguised a service provider to access the establishment without lifting suspicions.
Safety images show the former CEO removing pictures from the walls and using the elevator to carry the pieces. In an attempted theft at the mall, security guards noticed the action and tried to stop him as he tried to flee a taxi in the parking lot. Mendes managed to escape on a motorcycle, but was later identified.
The value of the subtracted works exceeds R $ 20 thousand. Only three pieces, according to police, total approximately R $ 23,000. Some works were found on the roof of João Ricardo, located in a luxury condominium in Barra da Tijuca, but a piece is still missing.
Prison
The arrest of João Ricardo Mendes occurred at his residence. Upon noticing the arrival of the police, he tried to escape the terrace of the building, but was captured.
The court converted the arrest in the act in pre -trial detention. The judge who analyzed the case highlighted the “concrete dangerousness of the custodian and the plurality of his conduct” as a justification for the maintenance of detention.
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Who is João Ricardo Mendes
João Ricardo began to undertake at the age of 18, with a drink tent at Pepê Beach, in Rio de Janeiro. In 2011, he founded the Urban Hotel, later renamed as HURB, amid the Boom of Collective Purchases in Brazil.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company faced a crisis: it sold travel packages below market value, which generated difficulties in meeting contracts after the sector’s reopening.
In 2023, João Ricardo starred in controversy in groups of WhatsApp by threatening and cursing customers who complained about the company. He even disseminated personal data from consumers and was accused of exposing customers to risk situations. After the negative repercussion ,.
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The businessman was also the subject of a complaint from a former employee, who accused him of threats, racial injury, humiliation and slander. In addition, he recently viralized on social networks a video in which he appears running after actress Luana Piovani’s son with a toy-flames. Luana claimed to have been “terrified” with the images.
