Overview

• Kerollen Cunha Ferreira and her mother, Nancy Gonçalves Cunha Ferreira, were convicted by Judge Simone de Faria Ferraz in the São Gonçalo criminal court of Rio de Janeiro.
• The court ruled that their viral clip—offering a banana to a 9-year-old boy and a monkey plush to a 10-year-old girl after a “money or surprise” prompt—constituted recreational racism.
• The judge detailed harm to the children, including school bullying that led the boy to give up his football aspirations and the girl’s social isolation and need for psychological support.
• Each woman received a 12-year prison term, must pay 20,000 reais to each child, and is prohibited from posting similar content or contacting the victims.
• Defense lawyer Mário Jorge dos Santos Tavares said they will appeal to the Rio appellate court, and arrest warrants would be issued only once the conviction becomes final.