Brazil's Federal Police has concluded, in a filing sent to Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice André Mendonça, that there are elements indicating that Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the right-wing PL party's presidential candidate, acted as the "direct interlocutor" of Daniel Vorcaro, owner of the now-defunct Banco Master, in negotiations to finance the film Dark Horse, a production about the career of former president Jair Bolsonaro, the senator's father. According to the police, the evidence shows the senator in "payment demands, in-person meetings and monitoring of the shooting's progress". The document was sent on July 8 and was unsealed late on Thursday (10), following a decision by STF President Edson Fachin.

Flávio Bolsonaro has been formally investigated in the inquiry since July 22, at the Federal Police's own request, on suspicion, still unproven, of money laundering, illegal currency transfers abroad and corruption. According to G1, Vorcaro moved 61 million reais to the film's producers through the Havengate fund in the United States, and the senator allegedly negotiated a transfer of 24 million dollars, about 134 million reais at the time. The production company says it spent 75.1 million reais on the film. Besides the senator, the police lists Eduardo Bolsonaro, lawmaker Mário Frias, publicist Thiago Miranda and three other people tied to the production as figures whose roles still need clarification.

Timeline of the case

• December 2024: messages taken from Vorcaro's phone show a meeting being scheduled with Flávio to discuss the "president's film", with Mário Frias, the project's originator, expected to take part.
• August 2025: the police records "direct exchanges" between the two, with messages indicating an in-person meeting on the 20th.
• September 2025: the senator sends an audio message demanding the film's payments; investigators say he was worried about the risk of defaulting on commitments to actor Jim Caviezel and director Cyrus Nowrasteh.
• October 22, 2025: Flávio reports that the film was on its third day of shooting and "at the limit", and asks Vorcaro to warn him if he cannot deliver the funds, so he can urgently find another path.
• November 7, 2025: the senator sends the banker a video saying the production was only happening because of his help.
• November 16 and 17, 2025: on the eve of the public phase of Operation Compliance Zero, Flávio tries to call Vorcaro and sends him a message; the next day, the banker is arrested as he tries to board a private jet to Dubai.

"Brother, I am and I will always be with you, there is no half-talk between us. I just need you to give me a light! Cheers!"

The message above was sent by Flávio to Vorcaro on November 16, as transcribed by the Federal Police in its filing.

Box office projections and a plea deal

According to the newspaper O Globo, the production's business plan projected revenue more than three times the record box office of "Minha mãe é uma peça 3", and UOL reported that the Federal Police saw in that record projection a suspicion of money laundering. The police has also asked the STF to identify the final beneficiaries of the Havengate Development Fund LP and Havengate Development Fund GP LLC.

The inquiry gained new material from the plea agreement of businessman Antônio Carlos Freixo Júnior, owner of Entre Investimentos, signed with the Attorney General's Office on August 8 and ratified by Mendonça on Wednesday (9). According to G1, he said he made seven transfers, described as "quotas subscriptions", to the Havengate fund between January and September 2025, on Vorcaro's orders, totaling 12.333 million dollars, about 62.8 million reais. The September transfer, of 1.666 million dollars, contradicts Flávio Bolsonaro's account that the last payment had come in May.

The defense

In Manaus on Friday (11), the senator called for every file in the case to be made public. "For me, the best thing that can happen is total transparency on this matter. Because they will only confirm what I have always said, that there is nothing wrong with the film", he said, according to Folha de S.Paulo. He also praised the justice overseeing the case: "André Mendonça is right. He is being a judge. I wish everyone on the Supreme Court were like him, leaning to no side. Investigate everything, everyone, with transparency, show it to the press, to the people".

Part of the inquiry remains sealed because it covers ongoing police operations. Investigators still want contracts, payment records and currency-exchange documents tied to the financing. No deadline has been disclosed for the inquiry to be concluded, after which it goes to the Attorney General's Office for review. The case unfolds less than a month before the first round of Brazil's presidential election, in which Flávio Bolsonaro is one of the leading candidates.