Portuguese Miguel Angelo Gaspar Pacheco, known as Miguel D’Almada, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for leading a neo-Nazi group based in the state of Santa Catarina, in southern Brazil.
According to the court, he was part of the Southlands Hammerskins organization, which is linked to the American neo-Nazi group Hammerskin Nation. The decision of the Federal Regional Court of the 4th Region can still be appealed.
Miguel’s lawyer, Luís Eduardo de Quadros, said that there is no concrete proof that his client was part of a structured criminal organization or practiced incitement to prejudice. It also states that the prosecution’s conclusions are based on expanded interpretations and questionable digital data.
The defense also said that Miguel responds to the case in freedom and has complied with the precautionary measures imposed by the Court.
In Portugal, Miguel was known among the organized supporters of Sporting, one of the main teams in Lisbon. He is a former member of the board of Juventude Leonina, one of the oldest fan groups in the country, and is named as one of the founders of a neo-Nazi cell within it, Grupo 1143. He has lived in Brazil since 2007.
Miguel and seven other people were arrested red-handed in November 2022 during a Southlands Hammerskins meeting in São Pedro de Alcântara, in the interior of Santa Catarina. He was detained until July 2023, being released after paying bail in excess of 18 thousand euros, a value corresponding to approximately R$105 thousand.
The investigation had begun after Miguel published a photo on social media making a Nazi salute.
