Former INSS prosecutor arrested in Curitiba

Former INSS prosecutor Virgilio Antonio Ribeiro de Oliveira Filho testified before the CPMI do INSS in October 2025. He was the target of an arrest warrant in the 4th phase of Operation Sem Desconto, which investigates diverted funds from retirees and pensioners. His wife, Thaisa Hoffmann, was also arrested. Virgilio held the position of INSS prosecutor until he was removed from his post in April 2025, by order of the Federal Court. His removal coincided with the day the Federal Police launched an operation into a scheme involving social security fraud. The federal government formally dismissed him from his position at that time. According to investigations, the former prosecutor received $11.9 million through companies and his wife’s bank accounts from entities linked to associations under scrutiny for irregular discounts in social security benefits. Additionally, part of the funds, as per the PF and the Office of the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU), were related to payments made by lobbyist Antonio Carlos Camilo Antunes, known as ‘Careca do INSS,’ a key operator in the frauds. The Federal Police reported that Thaisa Hoffmann’s companies received $7.5 million from ‘Careca do INSS.’ According to the inquiry, a luxury car was also transferred by Antunes to the former prosecutor’s wife. Among the arrested individuals are Alessandro Stefanutto, former INSS president, Antonio Carlos Antunes Camilo, also known as ‘Careca do INSS,’ Vinicius Ramos da Cruz, president of the Institute of Land and Labor (ITT), Tiago Abraao Ferreira Lopes, director of the National Confederation of Family Farmers and Rural Entrepreneurs (Conafer), Cicero Marcelino de Souza Santos, a businessman linked to Conafer, Samuel Chrisostomo do Bonfim Junior, also associated with Conafer, Andre Paulo Felix Fidelis, former INSS Benefits and Citizen Relationship Director, Virgilio Antonio Ribeiro de Oliveira Filho, former INSS prosecutor, and Thaisa Hoffmann, businesswoman and Virgilio’s wife. One individual targeted in the investigation is currently evading authorities.