Bolsonaro declares himself 'leader of Brazil' after $905M fraud probe

A $905 million money-laundering scheme involving betting companies sits at the center of a criminal investigation into Flávio Bolsonaro. The far-right senator is one of at least two people under criminal scrutiny in Brazil. He declared himself the leader of Brazil after losing the presidential runoff election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva last Sunday. Bolsonaro made the claim in a letter published after arriving in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday morning. He later deleted the initial letter, which described him as the true president, and replaced it with the new title.

Bolsonaro disappeared for more than 24 hours following the election results. Argentina’s migration authorities confirmed he entered the country by land on Tuesday night. He boarded a Gulfstream IV jet registered as LV-JQW at Puerto Iguaçú airport. The aircraft had been parked there since early Tuesday morning. He took off with his wife and two teenage daughters at 11:30 p.m., heading toward Guayaquil, Ecuador, to avoid Brazilian airspace. The group stopped briefly in Ecuador before continuing to the Miami-Opa Locka airport. They landed at 9:24 a.m. on Wednesday.

Bolsonaro emerged from the plane wearing a black bulletproof vest. He looked sombre as he stepped into the sunny Florida morning. His family left the airport under police escort, shielded by black umbrellas, and climbed into a dark grey Ford Expedition Max. He said nothing to reporters. About two dozen journalists were kept at a distance by Customs and Border Protection agents. No supporters were present to welcome him.

In his letter, Bolsonaro thanked Argentine President Javier Milei and U.S. President Donald Trump for welcoming him. He repeated his claim of electoral fraud without providing evidence. Brazil’s electoral court, supreme court, and legislative leaders had all rejected that claim. His own party recognized Lula’s victory on Monday. Three major Brazilian newspapers called the declaration coup-mongering. At least three different versions of the letter circulated, with one using the English spelling of Brazil instead of Portuguese.

Lula called the flight shameful. He said the Bolsonaro family treats Brazil as a second homeland while their first loyalty lies with the United States. He made these remarks at an event celebrating his 81st birthday in Brasília. Trump said on Wednesday that he would stay out of Brazil’s post-election turmoil. He noted that the U.S. gave Bolsonaro a pass to enter the country. Trump described the election as very strange but declined to comment further on the senator’s title claim.

Brazilian police are facing criticism for failing to stop Bolsonaro from leaving the country. There is a gap between the last time he was seen by allies at 6 p.m. on Monday and his entry into Argentina late Tuesday. Footage shows two vans crossing the border checkpoint and being escorted to the airport. The aircraft belonged to businessman Sergio Daniel Mastropietro, who is under investigation in a scandal involving bribes for disability medicines. O Globo reported that the escape was planned for weeks as a contingency. Eduardo Bolsonaro, the senator’s brother, was the main organizer. He had been lobbying U.S. officials while in self-imposed exile.