Police Launch Operation Targeting Network That Exploited Adolescents in Rio

Overview

• The 74ª DP of the Civil Police launched Operation NXIVM on Wednesday and carried out 18 search-and-seizure measures in Niterói, São Gonçalo and Maricá, with six arrests reported by midmorning.
• The probe began in July after an arrest of a parliamentary aide for sexual abuse of a 16-year-old and the seizure of notebooks and cellphones that investigators say revealed ties to a wider network.
• Police say the group produced audiovisual records of violence against adolescents and used those images to threaten, coerce and blackmail victims in what investigators describe as a system of sexual slavery.
• The operation included support from units of the 4º DPA and the Corregedoria-Geral da Polícia Militar while forensic teams continue to analyze seized devices and security footage to clarify each suspect’s role.
• Investigators are collecting more evidence to expand charges, locate and protect additional adolescent victims, and expect further arrests as digital forensic work identifies new leads.