PF plans third phase of Operation Nail and Meat based on data extracted from Bacellar and judge’s cell phones

• Magistrate arrested: Judge Judice Neto will stay at Niterói Prison in a room with a bed, TV and refrigerator
• Moraes says he found evidence that Judge Judice Neto was responsible for five crimes; see what they are

Unha e Carne was born from the unfolding of Operation Zargun, which arrested, on September 3, former state deputy Thiego Raimundo dos Santos Silva, known as TH Jóias, designated as a political link between the Red Command and the Legislative Branch. However, a leak of information could have delayed the execution of the arrest warrant and allowed the destruction of evidence.

The federal police arrived at Bacellar and Macário Neto’s house, accused of obstructing the investigation, based on suspicion of fleeing the action. It was the judge who ordered the arrest of TH Jóias and who was caught in a telephone conversation with the president of Alerj the day before the arrest of the then parliamentarian. Bacellar even suggested to TH Jóias to destroy the cell phone he was using, according to the PF. At the time of the then MP’s call, on September 2, according to the investigation, the president of Alerj and the judge were together in a grill restaurant.

• Strategic action: The PF adopts a “surprise factor” to avoid leaks and prevent the disappearance of cell phones, as in Bacellar prison

The case is before the Supreme Federal Court (STF), under the report of Minister Alexandre de Moraes, within the framework of the ADPF das Favelas, as part of an investigation into the infiltration of organized crime in public administration.

Lawyer Fernando Fernandes, who defends the judge, says his client did not meet Bacellar at the restaurant. According to him, no images prove that the two were together on the eve of the operation against TH Jóias.

— It will be proven that the dinner did not exist. The dinner and the escape did not happen. There is not the slightest doubt, Fernandes said, asking the police to clarify the facts as quickly as possible.

When asked why Macário Neto did not provide investigators with the passwords for his devices, the lawyer said his client knew his rights. According to Fernandes, considering the arrest illegal, Macário Neto understood that he should not hand over the passwords. He pointed out that cell phones contained family and banking information.

• CV manager linked to TH Jóias returns to Rio after leaving federal prison, the week Bacellar was arrested

The wait for a new operation has aroused concern among parliamentarians. Alerj sources reported that some politicians have started making calculations to estimate the number of state deputies who supposedly are attached to the Speaker of the House and who could receive a visit from the PF by the end of this year. The police’s first move is usually to seize cellphones, so lawmakers have avoided using their devices and meeting for fear of being monitored.

In the decision that ordered the arrest of Macário Neto, Alexandre de Moraes stated that there was sufficient evidence of the authorship of crimes such as armed criminal organization, with participation of a public agent, obstruction of the investigation, violation of functional secrecy, procedural fraud and personal and real favoritism.

In one of the extracts from the decision, the minister wrote:

“The people investigated took advantage of this intimate relationship to meet in person, on the eve of the police operation, with a view to committing criminal behavior.”