Brazil Police Report Details Candidate Flávio Bolsonaro’s Direct Contact With Disgraced Banker Daniel Vorcaro

A Federal Police (PF) report has revealed that presidential candidate and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro maintained direct contact with and actively pressed Daniel Vorcaro, the former chief of Banco Master and central figure in Brazil's largest financial fraud investigation, for financing the film Dark Horse. The revelation places the leading opposition candidate at the center of a major scandal weeks before the first round of the election.

The PF report, which is part of an inquiry before the Supreme Federal Court (STF), details a timeline of meetings and communication in 2025 between Bolsonaro and Vorcaro regarding the funding for the biopic about Flávio’s father, former President Jair Bolsonaro. Vorcaro, who was arrested in November 2025 for his role in the multi-billion-dollar collapse of Banco Master, allegedly disbursed at least R$61 million (approximately $12 million) toward the film.

The investigation found that Senator Bolsonaro sent audio messages to Vorcaro urging payments to ensure the film's production moved forward. Specifically, the PF noted that Bolsonaro expressed concern about honoring the contract of American actor Jim Caviezel, who was slated to star in the project. This suggests a direct involvement by the candidate in securing and managing private financing from a banker whose institution was simultaneously unraveling in what authorities have called a massive pyramid scheme.

The probe into the film's financing is split into two separate inquiries at the STF, a division that highlights the political sensitivity of the case. One inquiry, known as the Master case, concerns the alleged private funds from Vorcaro and is overseen by Minister André Mendonça, an appointee of Jair Bolsonaro. The other investigation, under Minister Flávio Dino, focuses on the alleged misuse and diversion of public parliamentary amendments, money designated for public works, to finance the production.

The political implications of the dual inquiries were underscored by attempts by Senator Bolsonaro’s defense to move the investigation into the alleged public fund misuse from Minister Dino to Minister Mendonça. Bolsonaro’s team reportedly tried at least four times to consolidate the cases under Mendonça, a move that failed, keeping the scrutiny of public fund diversion under the oversight of Dino. The ongoing investigation threatens to define the final weeks of the presidential campaign, raising significant governance and electoral risk for the Bolsonaro family.