October 29, 2022 — Armed persecution on the eve of the elections
On the eve of the second round of the presidential election, Carla Zambelli pulled out a gun and chased a man through the streets of the Jardins neighborhood in São Paulo. Images of the episode circulated widely on social networks and showed the MP running armed after journalist Luan Araújo, after a political discussion.
The incident occurred despite the TSE’s decision prohibiting the carrying of weapons during the electoral period. Experts consulted at the time called the behavior illegal and disproportionate, paving the way for criminal investigations that would later result in a conviction by the STF.
January 2023 — Invasion of the CNJ system
In January 2023, the National Council of Justice (CNJ) system was hacked and false documents were inserted, including a fraudulent arrest warrant against Minister Alexandre de Moraes. The action was attributed to hacker Walter Delgatti Neto, known as the “Araraquara hacker”.
Subsequent investigations will show that the invasion was organized to attack the judiciary and fuel a narrative of discredit against the electoral system.
August 3, 2023 — PF targets Zambelli and arrests hacker
The federal police have launched an operation against Carla Zambelli to investigate her possible participation in cyberattacks against the judiciary. Search and seizure warrants were executed at the deputy’s addresses and Walter Delgatti’s preventive arrest was ordered.
In the decision, Minister Alexandre de Moraes said the hacker had acted on Zambelli’s orders to “expand the fraudulent narrative against the electoral process.” Delgatti even confessed to the invasion and named the deputy as the mastermind.
February 29, 2024 — PF indicts a deputy and a hacker
The federal police concluded the investigation and charged Carla Zambelli and Walter Delgatti with the crimes of computer hacking and false declaration. According to the PF, Delgatti accessed the CNJ system at the request of the parliamentarian and entered false data.
Zambelli denied the accusations and said he never requested any invasion of the system, while the hacker’s defense confirmed he confessed to the crimes and named the deputy as having financed the action.
May 15, 2025 — Sentence to the STF for invasion of the CNJ
The First College of the STF unanimously sentenced Carla Zambelli to 10 years in closed prison for having orchestrated the invasion of the CNJ system, in addition to a millionaire fine and the loss of her mandate. The ruling also made the congressman ineligible for eight years, based on the Clean Record Law.
Although the loss of the mandate depended on the exhaustion of resources, the conviction marked a turning point in the case, formally associating the parliamentarian with crimes against the democratic rule of law.
May 25 to June 2025 — Escape from the country and preventive detention
After his conviction, Zambelli left Brazil via the border with Argentina and traveled to the United States, then to Italy, the country of which he is a national. Minister Alexandre de Moraes ordered his preventive detention, citing a risk of escape to avoid serving his sentence.
With this decision, the MP’s name was placed on the Interpol red list, making her wanted internationally.
July 29, 2025 — Arrest in Italy
On the run, Zambelli was arrested in Italy after her name was put on the Interpol list. She began to wait, on Italian territory, for the outcome of the extradition request made by the Brazilian government.
The arrest abroad is part of the conviction for invasion of the CNJ, considered final after the rejection of appeals to the STF.
October 30, 2025 — Final conviction for armed pursuit
The STF upheld the final judgment of Zambelli’s conviction for illegal possession of a weapon and unlawful restraint in the 2022 episode. The sentence set was five years and three months in prison, allowing the execution to begin.
With this decision, the Supreme Court informed the Chamber of Deputies of the possibility of beginning the process of revocation of the mandate, adding this penalty to that already imposed in the case of the CNJ.
December 11, 2025 — The Chamber maintains its mandate, the STF reacts
Even after a communication from the STF noting the immediate loss of the mandate as an automatic effect of the final criminal conviction, the Chamber of Deputies voted and decided to maintain Zambelli’s mandate.
The same day, Alexandre de Moraes declared the Chamber’s decision void, deemed the vote unconstitutional and ordered the immediate revocation of the mandate, with an order for the substitute to be sworn in within 48 hours.
December 14, 2025 — Resignation of mandate
Faced with the decision of the STF which annuls the deliberations of the Chamber and decrees the immediate loss of her mandate, Carla Zambelli presented her resignation this Sunday.
The resignation comes as the former MP remains imprisoned in Italy, awaiting a decision on her extradition to Brazil to serve sentences imposed by the Federal Supreme Court.
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