Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, a 2026 presidential candidate, faces formal investigation by the Supreme Court over alleged money laundering, foreign exchange evasion, and corruption tied to financing the film “Dark Horse,” about Jair Bolsonaro, with funds from detained banker Daniel Vorcaro.
Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, running for the presidency in the 2026 elections, is the target of an inquiry authorized by Supreme Court Minister André Mendonça, following requests from federal investigators examining financial irregularities at Banco Master.
Supreme Court Authorizes Investigation into Financing and Banco Master Ties
The formal investigation stems from a request by the Federal Police to apurar a possível prática dos crimes de lavagem de dinheiro, evasão de divisas, corrupção e outros delitos correlatos in connection with the funding of the film “Dark Horse.” The movie focuses on former President Jair Bolsonaro, currently imprisoned for leading an attempted coup d’état.
Minister André Mendonça issued the order authorizing the inquiry on July 22, though details only emerged publicly after the partial lifting of judicial confidentiality surrounding the broader investigations into Banco Master. The financial institution’s former head, banker Daniel Vorcaro, is currently detained amid probes into a multi-billion-reais financial fraud scheme.
Within the Supreme Court, two separate tracks examine the film’s financing. One probe scrutinizes the use of parliamentary amendments and is overseen by Minister Flávio Dino, while the second inquiry tracks the fallout from the Banco Master case under Mendonça’s jurisdiction. Federal investigators maintain that a Polícia Federal requer a instauração de PET sigilosa em apartado to examine the senator’s alleged role in the financial engineering of the project.
Direct Negotiations and Audio Messages Reveal Financial Pressures
Investigative documents released following the removal of court seals identify Flávio Bolsonaro as a direct interlocutor with Vorcaro. Police reports state the senator engaged in tratativas relacionadas ao financiamento da produção, inclusive com cobranças de pagamentos, reuniões presenciais e acompanhamento do andamento das gravações.
Among the recovered materials is an audio message sent by the senator to the banker, detailing the mounting pressures surrounding the movie’s budget and expressing anxiety over potential financial default with high-profile American cinematic talent attached to the production.
Flávio Bolsonaro acknowledged that although Daniel had given him the freedom to press him for money, he felt awkward repeatedly asking, but explained that it was a very decisive moment for the film and, with many installments overdue, everyone was tense, expressing concern that the opposite effect of what they had dreamed of for the movie might happen and warning how terrible it would be to default on Jim Caviezel and Cyrus Nowrasteh, highly renowned figures in American and global cinema, which could turn all the positive effects they were certain the film would bring into the exact opposite.
Reporting indicates that the senator negotiated directly with Vorcaro for the transfer of at least US$ 24 million (approximately R$ 122.7 million) toward the film’s production. Out of this total, documents show that a minimum of US$ 12.3 million (about R$ 62.9 million) was effectively disbursed.
Plea Bargain Disclosures and International Fund Structures
The widening investigation has also incorporated details from a homologated plea agreement involving businessman Antônio Carlos Freixo Júnior, known as Mineiro. According to his testimony, the entrepreneur operated a joint account with Vorcaro and utilized couriers to transport large volumes of physical cash in suitcases to cover the banker’s expenses and international transfers.
Investigators trace part of these cash remittances to the Havengate Development Fund, a United States-based vehicle used to channel money into the production. The fund is administered by Paulo Calixto, a lawyer connected to former deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro. Federal reports suggest that Eduardo Bolsonaro and his legal counsel participated in establishing the financial structure required for these cross-border transactions.
Concurrently, a separate operation authorized by Minister Flávio Dino targeted potential misuse of public funds in the production, including an alleged diversion of R$ 750 mil from the production. That sweep included Deputy Mário Frias among its targets after reports indicated he directed R$ 2 million in parliamentary amendments to the Instituto Conhecer Brasil, a non-governmental organization headed by Karina Gama, who also leads the film’s production company, Go Up Entertainment.
Political Defense and Upcoming Electoral Deadlines
Facing these developments close to the electoral calendar, Flávio Bolsonaro rejected all allegations of financial wrongdoing. Speaking to reporters in Manaus, the candidate called for the complete lifting of judicial secrecy surrounding the case.
Flávio Bolsonaro stated that for him, the best possible outcome would be total transparency on the issue, as it would merely confirm what he had always maintained—that there was nothing wrong regarding the film.
The senator further dismissed the timing of the investigative steps, pointing to the proximity of the vote as a political motivation behind the judicial actions. Flávio Bolsonaro stated that with 24 days remaining until the election, they needed to invent something against him. While the Supreme Court continues to examine the transactional origins of the film’s capital, the ultimate impact of these evidentiary disclosures on the presidential race remains a central question as investigators pursue the final beneficiaries of the funds.
