Bookseller Carlos Augusto de Almeida Ramos, known nationally as Carlinhos Waterfallhe was arrested this Wednesday (13) by the Federal Police at Congonhas Airport, in the south of São Paulo.
As determined by CNN BrazilCachoeira had a open arrest warrant issued by the Goiás Court and was taken to the 27th Police District, in Campo Belo.
Operation Monte Carlo
Carlinhos Waterfall gained national recognition in 2012, when he was identified by investigations as leader of a criminal organization targeted by Operation Monte Carlo, from the Public Ministry of Goiás.
Launched in February of that year, the operation was conducted to investigate a group suspected of acting in a structured and hierarchical manner in the exploitation and cartelization of mainly slot machines and bingosin addition to crimes against public administration.
According to the Public Ministry, the organization also recruited public agents to provide information and guarantee protection for establishments linked to the scheme.
According to investigations, military, civil and federal police officers would have been co-opted to pass on data about operations and interests of the organization, identified as being led by Waterfall.
Conviction
Still in 2012, after working together with the Federal Police, prosecutors offered complaint against 80 people investigated for participation in the scheme.
At the end of that year, the Federal Court sentenced Carlos Augusto de Almeida Ramos and seven other defendants to more than 39 years in prison for different criminal practices. According to the Federal Public Ministry, in addition to active corruptionthe group also engaged in fraud in public tenders, exploitation of slot machines and other games of chance.
New actions in 2014
In 2014, the proposed new administrative improbity actions against members of groups linked to the scheme.
According to the agency, the actions involved groups that operated mainly in Goiás and the surrounding areas of the Federal District to install and maintain gambling exploitation and cartelization activities.
At the time, more than 70 people had already been sued, including Cachoeira and assistants appointed as direct members of the organization.
Arrest in 2016
In 2016, Cachoeira was arrested again during another Federal Police operation, this time related to suspicions of corruption and involving public works.
Investigations showed that more than R$370 million would have been laundered through irregular payments to 18 shell companiesand Cachoeira was being investigated on suspicion of participating in the creation of these companies.
According to researchers, the amounts moved increased in election years. In one of the cases analyzed, a transfer of R$80 million would have been made for a project considered non-existent, in 2008, the year of municipal elections.
