While James Merrill has plead guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 23rd, investigations into TelexFree continue down in Brazil.

The latest has seen five money laundering charges filed against fifteen individuals connected to TelexFree.

The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office in Espírito Santo (MPF / ES) has filed five accusations of money laundering against members of Telexfree.

Among the accused are Carlos Roberto Costa and Carlos Nataniel Wanzeler, managing partners of the company, as well as associates and relatives of the businessmen.

The full list of the accused is as follows:

  1. Carlos Nataniel Wanzeler
  2. Carlos Roberto Costa
  3. Katia Helia Wanzeler,  wife of Carlos Wanzeler
  4. Jozélia Miriam Sangali,  wife of Carlos Costa
  5. Danny Fabricio Cabral Gomes
  6. Febe Wanzeler de Almeida e Souza,  sister of Carlos Wanzeler
  7. Marisa Machado Wanzeler Salgado,  sister of Carlos Wanzeler
  8. Roberta Rosa de Jesus
  9. Draco Vaz de Oliveira
  10. Alex Gomes
  11. Diorgeney William of Assisi
  12. Lelio Celso Ramires Farias
  13. Rhalff Junio ​​by Almeida Coutinho
  14. Leide Januaria de Araújo and
  15. Elizabeth Cerqueira Costa Alves,  sister of Carlos Costa

The new charges allege laundering of funds after the Brazilian state of Acre suspended TelexFree’s business operations nation-wide back in 2013.

Money laundering crimes were carried out in three ways.

The first of these consisted of the purchase of four vehicles – a BMW, a Toyota Corolla, a Hilux and a Toyota Prius – by the partners and in the placement of these cars in the name of third parties.

In addition, in violation of the judicial decision to suspend activities in the country, the accused allowed the entry of residents in Brazil through a registration made directly at Telexfree international and provided parallel means of moving values ​​and maintaining illegal activities of the company.

The money moved by the purchase of credits / dollars in the Telexfree system was used for payments of various expenses of the company, including the salary of employees.

According to the investigations, there was also money laundering via the acquisition of the company Simternet Information Technology, whose fancy name is Voxbras.

The money for the purchase of Voxbras came from TelexFree related activity. (Voxbras) was used to transfer money between partners when they learned of the blocking of the bank accounts by the Justice of Acre.

(The accused) even doctored false contracts to justify the transfers.

Last month authorities in Espírito Santo indicted twenty-one TelexFree connected individuals on charges of evasion, the illegal sale of financial assets and selling unregistered securities.

Those indicted stand accused of stealing $1.6 billion USD from eleven million victims.

Despite the indictments and new money laundering charges, to the best of my knowledge there have yet to be any TelexFree arrests in Brazil.

Stay tuned…