THE owner of the Choquei pageone of the largest entertainment companies in the country, was arrested during an operation by Federal Police this Wednesday (15). The investigation says that Raphael Sousa Oliveira, 31, acted as a media operator for a money laundering and illegal betting scheme led by artist MC Ryan SPwho was also arrested.
The report attempted to contact the defense via email and message sent to pages managed by Raphael, but there was no response this Wednesday morning.
Raphael’s arrest was carried out by 1 of the 39 arrest warrants issued by the Federal Court in the scope of Operation Narco Fluxo. The arrest is temporary and has an initial term of 30 days. According to the PF, music professionals with thousands of followers on social media created a sophisticated and complex system to move illicit resources. Raphael, according to the investigation, would have the role of media operator.
Choquei has 27.1 million followers on Instagram and 9.4 million on His personal page has 1.4 million followers on Instagram.
Data from the Federal Revenue indicate that the man is a managing partner of two companies linked to the page, both based in Goiânia. The first was opened in 2019, and the second two years later.
The page administrator is described in the investigation as responsible for disseminating content favorable to the singer MC Ryan SP, appointed as the center of the structurein addition to promoting betting platforms and digital raffles.
The court’s decision states that Raphael received “high amounts” from members of the group, in exchange for acting as a media operator, which consisted of disseminating content, promoting bets and managing image. The amount received was not specified.
The role attributed to the creator of the page does not directly involve the financial movement of the scheme, but the use of reach on social networks as a tool to support the structure. According to the PF, this strategy included both the promotion of content and the attempt to reduce negative impacts resulting from the investigations.
According to the court decision, the group would have moved amounts on a billion-dollar scale, with evidence of asset concealment and use of companies to give the appearance of legality to the resources.
The decision authorized measures such as searches and seizures, freezing of assets and breach of confidentiality of telematic data of those being investigated.
In total, dozens of individuals and legal entities are being investigated for their participation in different stages of the scheme, which would involve everything from fundraising to their redistribution and reinsertion into the formal economy.
