Former goalkeeper Doni, from Corinthians, Roma and Seleção, is the target of lawsuits over multi-million dollar debts in the USA.

Together with a partner named Werner Macedo, also Brazilian, Doni raised money from people and companies in Brazil and abroad, with the promise of returns of up to 15% per year, to build homes in apartment complexes in Florida. However, most projects never took off. When Donnie and Macedo were contacted for two weeks, they did not comment on the report.

The website and portfolio of WD Invest, one of Doni and Werner’s companies, advertises many of these mid-range and high-end real estate projects. This is the case of Camila Homs, in Silver Springs Shores, an hour and a half from Orlando. The project, which launched in 2022, will include 529 homes and include a golf course “ideal for families looking for a better quality of life,” according to announcements at the time.

To make the project viable, Doni closed several partnerships with investors, including Willian Aarão, who previously played for Flamengo and currently plays for Santos. On 4 November 2022, Arão concluded a commercial agreement with D32 Holdings – the flagship company of the former goalkeeper’s group – and contributed US$200,000 (R$1.07 million in current values) under the commitment to acquire a 1.14% stake in the project, plus 15% of the amount invested over 18 months.

However, Arau’s defense stated that the project was abandoned, without informing the investors. “From 2022 to 2024, the defendants sent false financial reports indicating a revenue of more than US$264,000 (about R$1.4 million today), even though the project had been discontinued or abandoned. They did not notify the plaintiffs that the project had been discontinued and continued to conceal the information. In January 2025, at a meeting in Orlando, the defendants admitted that the project would not go ahead and proposed rolling over the investment to another project, but ‘subsequently backed out,'” Arau’s defense states in The lawsuit, filed against Donnie, Macedo and D32 Holdings, is in court in Orange, Florida, seeking $264,000 in damages. Arau did not comment when contacted.

From Ribeirão Preto to King’s Landing

In another suit filed in Orlando, a group of 12 investors from Ribeirão Preto, the city where Donny came for football in 2001, invested US$1.6 million (R8.5 million) in the King’s Landing project, a residential complex of 50 semi-detached houses to be built on a 36,000 square meter plot of land in Florida. “Perfect for families looking for a quiet area with easy access to downtown Orlando,” the ad said. Negotiations began in December 2022 and continued until March 2023, when shareholders formalized the agreements.

According to this process, Doni Group will use part of the funds contributed to purchase the land (US$1.2 million) and the rest will be used to obtain municipal licenses and start construction work. The land will be offered as collateral to investors. The expected return to investors is no less than 65%, according to the promises of the former guard.

The report spoke to some of the investors in Kings Landing. One of them, who contributed US$100,000 (537,000 Brazilian reals) and requested anonymity, says that Doni mentioned in the meetings that profits could reach 86% in a period of up to two years. The group’s distrust began to appear after several visits to the untouched grounds, while the former guard confirmed that the work had already begun. The investors then learned that the land had also been given as a bank guarantee before the contract was signed.

“Following the investments, the authors discovered that the deed transferring the property was not recorded in Orange County public records. The property was registered with a $9 million mortgage, recorded in January 2023, but this lien was not disclosed to investors,” the investors claim in the lawsuit.

Evictions and other actions in the United States

In addition to the two lawsuits, Doney has also been the target of other legal disputes, such as eviction from the group’s Orlando office, whose monthly rent of $10,967 was not paid in early 2024. Then, in June 2025, the company was again evicted from an office building in the same city. In this case, the debt exceeded 170 thousand US dollars (912 thousand Brazilian reals). With the restrictions, Donnie and his partner had begun occupying a co-working space, also in Orlando.

There are also legal demands related to the supply of chemical toilets for construction sites (US$24,000, approximately R$128,000), and a lawsuit filed by a Brazilian country singer who invested US$300,000 (R$1.6 million) in June 2023, but has not yet received any kind of return.

The report also spoke to ten other investors, in Brazil and abroad, who have not yet filed lawsuits against Doni, his partner and their companies. One of them, who had invested more than $350,000 as of 2022, says he realized the following year that the project had not gone as planned. According to a report by the businessman, who lives in the interior of Sao Paulo, the former player asked him and other creditors to sign subsequent documents so that the debts could be transferred, but the talks never progressed.

And in the portfolio of one of his companies, the former goalkeeper maintains his offers as an investor and builder. “After many years as a professional footballer, including defending the Brazilian national team, and living and working in several countries, such as Brazil, England and Italy, Doniper Alexandre Marangon, known as Doni, began investing in different markets, such as construction, entertainment and sports, while he was still playing football. After retiring from sports, Doni immigrated to the United States and, after researching the market, decided to found D32 Builder, as he saw an opportunity to make a significant impact in real estate and investments,” says one of the promotional materials.

In addition to these activities, Doni and Werner, through D32 Invest LLC, also represent dozens of investors, including footballers, entrepreneurs and artists in companies that target foreigners and have offshore structures.

As a player, Doni started his career at Botafogo de Ribeirão Preto (SP) in 2001. In the following two years, he played for Corinthians. After 101 matches for Sao Paulo, Doni played for Santos (2004), Cruzeiro (2004 and 2005), Juventude (2005), Roma (2005 to 2011) and Liverpool (2011 and 2012). He played ten matches for the national team between 2007 and 2010.

In 2013, when he returned to Botafogo de Ribeirão Preto to finish his career, Doni discovered a heart problem and stopped playing professionally. On October 26, when the goalkeeper turned 46, Roma paid tribute to him.