Crime History, Inc. and Mobilized News are pleased to announce the broadcast of two vital meetings: one in Sao Paulo – a discussion on the future of Brazil and U.S.-Florida relations… and the second on on Sunday, May 4th at 10 a.m Eastern Time (USA/Canada/Mexico/o
Two vital gatherings to discussion of the future of Brazil and U.S. and Florida relations…
The rules of law in the United States Federal and State Courts are changing …
These Policy Changes Will Affect Brazil and US Trade, Visitation and Extradition
Events are live and recorded for broadcast.
About the Moderator:
Chris is a criminal defense attorney with 45 years of extensive federal and state trial and grand jury practice in Miami, Palm Beach, Orlando and other courts across the nation and internationally. Born and raised in Rochester, New York and later to earn his juris doctor degree at Marquette U. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Chris Mancini arrived in Miami, Florida on assignment to the U.S. Attorney’s Office during the infamous period of the “Mariel Boat Lift” during which tens of thousands of Cubans fled their country to seek a new life in the U.S. As a U.S. prosecutor, Chris discovered that some of the most violent and dangerous men and women were allowed to immigrate during the boatlift. By 1986, he had been given many awards for his service and held the post of Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Division, U.S. Attorney for the Miami office for the U.S. Department of Justice.
In the late 1990s, Chris began gathering original artefacts and materials about the history of crime in Miami and especially corruption within the Miami Police Department. He interviewed past and present police officers and those most deeply involved in the investigation. Using what he had gathered, Chris conducted a series of lectures every three to four months for members of the Miami-Dade Historical Society and that has led to his deep understanding of the organization and effects of the extensive history of crime in South Florida.
Chris Mancini is the author of two books, Pirates in Blue: The True Story of the Miami River Cops and Deliberate Indifference and has represented many famous clients.
Why Should Brazil Care? Because . . .
In 1945, Ben Ferencz, who was then a 27-year-old Attorney from New York City, and who died two years ago on April 8, 2023 at 103 years old, was a leading prosecutor of a pivotal event in history that held Nazi leaders accountable for their crimes at the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal. Ferencz’s lifetime of work was dedicated to upholding the rule of law by holding those who commit crimes against humanity accountable in a fair trial held in a competent national or international court of law. This critical legal principal is now being challenged in the U.S. and these challenges will impact all democracies around the world, including Brazil’s.
The U.S. is Brazil’s second largest trading partner with the U.S. being the top destination for all Brazilian goods with approximately $74.8 billion being traded back and forth in 2023 and with U.S. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Brazil of $228 billion that same year.
In view of the ongoing U.S. federal agency budget cancellations, the mass firing of U.S. federal employees, the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO, the stop of funding for all U.S. State Department foreign assistance programs by Elon Musk’s DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) and anti-DEI Executive Orders, what will happen to Brazil’s 2024 U.S. agency disbursements of $48,029.209 which consisted of (only a partial list): the U.S. and Brazil’s Global Entry arrangement, Joint Anticorruption and Narcotics Interdiction and Anti-Money Laundering efforts, joint participation in the U.N.’s Partnership for Worker’s Rights, joint Human Rights work regarding police violence and racial violence, gender equity, and JAPER (Joint Action Plan to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Discrimination and to advance equity for marginalized racial and ethnic communities)?
Under DOGE’s current stop in funding for all foreign assistance programs, what will happen to the US State Department’s and USAID’s 2024 $22.6 million financial contributions to Brazil which went to (only a partial list): Brazil’s Chico Mendes Institute, Biodiversity Conservation, NIF, the Amazon Fund, EMGP, PSP, Fulbright Amazonia, EducationalUSA’s Opportunity Funds, Academy for Women Entrepreneurs, The Technology Safeguards Agreement, NASA’s Artemis Accord, RDT&E Agreement, INL, PRM’s “Operation Welcome” for relocation of Venezuelans and Afghans, NSF, NIST, EPA, NOAH, NIH Brazil Research, US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation that supports Rio de Janiero’s Valongo Wharf site and similar projects in Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul, and many more such programs. A wide range of sustainability, health and environmental programs in the Amazon Rainforest are also at stake after the U.S. government announced a 90 day stop on all foreign aid funding during President Donald Trump’s first day in office.
CHANGES TO US FEDERAL LAW & POLICY THAT WILL AFFECT BRAZIL (AND OTHER NATIONS).
At the behest of the current U.S. administration, the United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) and/or the Republican controlled U.S. Congress are instituting vast and rapid changes to the rule of law in the U.S. by:
● Defying U.S. federal court orders and raising uncertainty of the extent of future US domestic and international court powers and orders,
● Disbanding the Foreign Influence Task Force which was established to police influence campaigns staged by Russia and other nations aimed at sowing discord in democracies like Brazil’s and the U.S.,
● Stopping United Nations resolutions condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the investigation of Vladimir Putin’s alleged war crimes,
● Seeking to imprison the current U.S. administration’s past and current political opponents and directing USDOJ and State of Florida resources to investigate Brazilians who provide migrant relief while criminalizing traditionally protected speech and behavior,
● Detaining for deportation lawful immigrants who have filed all necessary documentation and are awaiting judicial rulings adjusting their immigration status,
● Pardoning all January 6th US Capitol rioters of all their crimes,
● Threatening to apply tariffs and the use of military force to invade other countries such as Greenland and Panama as a means of enhancing U.S. trade and economic superiority,
● Threatening to renounce the 1908 treaty establishing the US- Canadian border and to make Canada the “51st” U.S. State,
● Cancelling or restricting the use of court supervised consent decrees to reform U.S. police departments that have committed a pattern of violence or racism,
● Denying bail and expediting deportation of any illegal aliens arrested for any crime including minor offenses such as shoplifting or theft under the new federal Laken-Riley Act.
● President Donald Trump signed an executive order ending automatic citizenship for children born in the U.S. if neither of their parents is lawfully in the country, a practice protected by the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and upheld by the Supreme Court over 125 years ago.
● President Trump has also recently signed Executive Orders removing “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) from the Foreign Service and all federal agencies, threatening termination for federal employees who fail to obey Executive Orders, threatening visa cancellation for foreign officials who “facilitate” illegal immigration, invoked the Aliens Enemies Act against a Venezuelan gang “Tren de Aragua,” declaring drug cartels to be terrorist organizations, requiring immigrant children who turn 14 years old to re-register with the government, offering a $5 million Gold Card immigration visa, and removing schools, churches and hospitals as sensitive areas for immigration enforcement. More such orders are pending.
CHANGES TO FLORIDA LAW & POLICY THAT WILL AFFECT BRAZILIAN MIGRANTS
“THE WAY I VIEW IMMIGRATION IS, IF YOU’RE IN . . . BRAZIL OR WHEREVER, YOU DON’T HAVE A RIGHT TO COME TO AMERICA.”
-FLORIDA GOVERNOR RON DeSANTIS
“(THE STATE OF FLORIDA) IS TRYING TO BE THE MOST UNFRIENDLY STATE IN AMERICA TO BE AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT … WE HAVE THE TOUGHEST LAWS IN THE COUNTRY … IF YOU’RE ILLEGAL AND COMMIT MURDER IN FLORIDA, YOU’LL NOW GO STRAIGHT TO DEATH ROW. WE HOPE THIS BECOMES A MODEL FOR STATES AROUND THE COUNTRY. FLORIDA LEADS THE COUNTRY IN THIS … AND WE’RE NOT DONE PASSING BILLS…”
– FLORIDA STATE SENATOR RANDY FINE
· In 2023, there were 13.7 million unauthorized immigrants in the US. 286,000 of them, or 2%, were from Brazil. In 2023, Brazil also provided 2% (250,000) of all new Legal Permanent Residents.
· In 2023, Florida ranked 3rd in immigration with 5 million migrants.
· Between 2010 to 2023, 1.3 million immigrants moved to Florida, more than any other state in the U.S.
· 60% of Brazilians living in the US reside in Miami, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Approximately 66,000 Brazilians reside in Orlando.
· In 2023, approximately 700,000 Brazilians visited the Orlando area, a 21% increase from 2022.
· Despite the fact that research has shown that undocumented immigrants “had substantially lower crime rates than native-born citizens and legal immigrants across a range of felony offenses,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice, the State of Forida is now leading the US in passing laws designed to criminalize and deport all illegal immigrants.
· As of 2025, all state and local law enforcement in Florida now have a legal duty to enforce federal immigration laws.
· It is now a crime, a felony, in Florida to enter or re-enter the state while being an illegal immigrant which is punishable by a mandatory 9 month sentence.
· Starting April 11, it is a federal crime to fail to register as an illegal alien after 30 days in the U.S. and to fail to carry proof of registration at all times. All State of Florida misdemeanor offenses (including driving offenses) committed by illegal immigrants now have enhanced penalties.
· Florida public schools are now being raided by ICE to search for illegal immigrants and illegal immigrants who attend public schools and universities are now barred from getting reduced tuition benefits.
· Being arrested for misdemeanor theft or shoplifting in Florida while an illegal immigrant is now grounds for immediate deportation.
· Bringing a child into Florida illegally will soon become the felony crime of human trafficking.
· The use of E-Verify in all Florida business will soon be mandatory with criminal penalties for all employers who hire illegal immigrants.
· Using an out-of-state driver’s license issued by a state that does not verify the immigration status of drivers is now illegal in Florida.
· Remitting or sending money from the US to a foreign country by an illegal alien or someone acting on behalf of an illegal alien will be barred and will require E-verification of lawful immigration and lying on the remittance form will become a Florida state crime.
· Voter affirmation of US Citizenship will be required on all Florida voter registration applications. Lying on voter applications will be subject to criminal penalties.
· Bail will be denied for any illegal alien who is arrested in the future or is now pending trial in Florida for any crime of any type.
· A bill is now pending in the Florida legislature to stop the minimum wage from increasing to $15.00 per hour for certain workers in September, 2026.
FLORIDA IS TURNING INTO “THE MOST FAVORABLE TO LAW ENFORCEMENT STATE IN THE U.S.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida legislature have expanded or are working to expand the powers of the state:
· All police and sheriffs must become immigration agents to facilitate ICE federal deportation efforts. Florida’s Attorney General is investigating any city that refuses to sign agreements allowing their police to train or participate in federal immigration enforcement.
· To restrict the public’s access to state and police departments files and data and to restrict the videotaping of police activities in public,
· To grant police greater immunity for their criminal acts,
· To abolish all citizen police oversight boards which have been historically instrumental in bringing to light acts of police abuse as highlighted in the award-winning film “The Poison Garden.” Police unions in Florida have successfully opposed such civilian oversight in their contract negotiations
by claiming that all civilian police oversight boards were “stacked with activists.”
· As of July 2024, no cases of ethical violations can be filed against any elected officials in Florida without a complaint first being sworn to by an eyewitness or a criminal co-conspirator.
· Enacted new exemptions to Florida’s Sunshine Law making it easier for police and public officials to do business behind closed doors.
· To restrict the teaching of true Florida racial and discrimination history in public schools and universities by enacting laws such as Florida’s STOP WOKE ACT, DON’T SAY GAY, and anti-DEI laws.
· New York City has recently reported similar policies to Florida’s by the NYPD Police Commissioner’s policy of “retention,” in which he alone decides which citizen complaints he will refer to the NYPD Civilian Complaint Review Board and by operation of which, the most egregious complaints are being withheld from the public.
THE FUTURE OF US PROSECUTION AND EXTRADITIONS OF BRAZILIANS
· In 2015, a bill was introduced to the U.S. Congress aimed at suspending the issuance of visas to nationals of Brazil until such time as Brazil amends its laws to remove the prohibition on extradition of its citizens to other countries. The bill did not pass. Yet.
· Brazil and many other countries do not extradite their own nationals. Although the U.S. government has succeeded in persuading some countries such as the Netherlands, to extradite its nationals, even those countries often insist that when they extradite their nationals, the person must be returned to serve any sentence in the country of their nationality. In keeping with current policy changes, the U.S. may soon impose tariffs and travel restrictions on Brazilian visas to enforce U.S. criminal laws as previous bills in Congress have attempted to do. The economic consequences of such actions would be felt both in the U.S. and in Brazil.
· Another alternative to increasing U.S. extradition of Brazilians would be the increased use of Article 7, Item II of the Brazilian Criminal Code which allows for the prosecution and incarceration in Brazil of Brazilians who have committed crimes in foreign countries. Recent Brazilian Supreme Court rulings have stripped some Brazilians of their citizenship in cases in which dual citizenship has been obtained by them, thus clearing the way for their extradition to the U.S. One sensitive area that has been discussed is Brazil’s participation in the International Criminal Court despite the fact that Brazil issued a general amnesty in 1979 and in 2002 decided that the official archives of the dictatorship must remain closed for fifty years while there are pending extradition cases of Brazilian nationals regarding the deaths of foreign nationals during the dictatorship that may be addressed by the ICC.
APPENDIX: A PARTIAL LIST OF FLORIDA & INTERPOL
BRAZILIAN FUGITIVES FROM JUSTICE
Case 1: William Leslie Arnold
A 16 year-old Nebraska boy, William Leslie Arnold, was given a life sentence for killing his parents. Arnold was a troubled youth when he killed both of his parents and buried them in their backyard. He spent 9 years behind bars before working with another inmate, Jim Harding, to saw through his cell and then went over the penitentiary fence and fled to Chicago to never be seen again. In 2017 some new evidence of his whereabouts surfaced when a Brazilian immigration entry document that had been buried in a government archive in Sao Paulo was discovered by the Office of Public Security’s Special Bureau of Foreigners. An investigator who spent years tracking Arnold believes he fled to Brazil because Arnold believed that if he fathered a child in Brazil, he would never be extradited back to the United States. It is unclear what the state of extradition law was at the time Arnold entered Brazil in 1968 and even if he ultimately gained Brazilian citizenship, it’s possible his outstanding Interpol warrant would put Arnold in jeopardy of extradition back to the U.S.
Case 2: Daniela Torres (Florida)
On August 21st, 2008 at 3:30am, Daniela Torres, 24 years old, also known as Daniela Pereira, collided with the back of car in which Debora Petterson was a passenger. The car flipped, causing the death of Debora (pronounced dead on the scene) and her companion James Carr, 42, who was pronounced dead an hour later in the hospital. In Feb 2009 Torres was arrested for manslaughter. After paying bail of US $50,000, she was still in possession of her passport and she fled the country. She’s now being sought by United States authorities and faces a 10-year prison sentence for manslaughter and for fleeing to Brazil and not attending her court appointments.
Case 3: Marco Guizan (Florida)
According to the police authorities of Port St. Lucie, Florida, Marco was wanted by the police in four American states: FL, NC, NY and NJ. Since his arrival in the U.S.in 2006, in only 3 months he is alleged to have caused monetary loss to his compatriots valued at US$300,000.00 by offering work and services in the construction business for Brazilian establishments. At one time, there was a total of 17 accusations against him. Guzan spent 5 years in prison but then violated his parole. He paid bail of US$25,000.00 and then ran away. His Florida case and arrest warrant were dismissed by the State Attorney.
Case 4: Luis Ferreira (Florida)
Luis Ferreira, 51, the former owner of three commercial establishments between 2008 and 2010 in Deerfield Beach, FL, was sentenced on April 18, 2011 to 33 months in prison for tampering with witness testimony in connection with his involvement in a fraudulent investment scheme. After being sentenced to prison that year, Luis was released with the promise that he would appear before the court to fulfill his sentence, which did not occur. According to the authorities, Ferreira is now a fugitive who uses several names and the FBI believes that Luis may be living in Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro.
Case 5: David Britto and Janiber Vieira (Florida)
Now a fugitive, but once a former police officer of the year in the Boyton Beach Florida Police Department, Brito was 28 years old and was awaiting trial on drug trafficking charges when he fled to Brazil after cutting off his electronic monitoring bracelet. According to court records, his mother, Janiber Vieira, bought him an airline ticket from Miami to Brasilia on August 23rd 2011 and the next day he fled the country. Janiber Vieira was arrested in September at JFK International Airport in New York as she was about to board a flight to Sao Paulo. She was charged with conspiracy and for lying to federal agents about her son’s whereabouts and has since served a federal prison sentence for these crimes. Britto is a U.S. citizen but was born in Brazil and has been identified as working as an athletic trainer in Brazil.
Case 6: Thye Mattos Ventura Bezerra
A member of the Brazilian water polo team is wanted by Canadian authorities for sexually assaulting a woman while in Toronto. Because Canada does not have an extradition treaty with Brazil, Bezerra would have to be captured in a country that does. Bezerra is believed to be living somewhere in Brazil and Brazilian authorities are now attempting to locate him.
Case 7: Mario Marcelo Santoro
Mario Marcelo Santoro is wanted in Australia for the murder of his former girlfriend, Cecilia Haddad. Because the Brazilian constitution does not allow the extradition of Brazilian citizens, high level talks between the Australian government and the Brazilian authorizes have so far been fruitless. The Haddad family is now attempting to prosecute Santoro through the Brazilian legal system.
Case 8: Claudia Hoerig
A Brazilian woman accused of murdering her Air Force husband in 2007 was recently returned to Trumbull County, Ohio after fleeing to Brazil more than 10 years ago. United States authorities had been working to extradite Hoerig back to Ohio from Brazil when a murder indictment was brought against her on April 24, 2007. A bill was later introduced into Congress to stop processing Brazilian visas applications unless she was returned and that put pressure on the Brazilian Supreme Court to revoke her Brazilian citizenship based upon her having taken an oath of allegiance to the United States as a part of her United States citizenship. Given the Brazilian constitutional ban on extraditing Brazilian citizens Hoerig would not have been extradited to the United States if not for her oath of loyalty to the United States.
Case 9: Carlos Wanzeler
Carlos Wanzeler, 49, was the cofounder of Telexfree Inc., which was a multibillion-dollar pyramid scheme based in Massachusetts. He fled to Brazil in 2014 via Canada the same day federal authorities raided his company headquarters in Marlborough. Wanzeler had his Brazilian citizenship revoked. The Brazilian Ministry of Justice has stated that Wenzeler was being stripped of his Brazilian citizenship because he became a naturalized American citizen in 2009. He now faces multiple fraud charges for his role in the three billion dollar Ponzi scheme that affected nearly two million investors worldwide. Cleber Rene Rizerio Rocha, 28, was recently sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 33 months in prison and one year of supervised release after Rocha pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to commit money laundering and one count of money laundering $US17 million dollars.
Case 10: Leonard Ray Harper
In 2014, Leonard Ray Harper, who fled to Brazil in 1998 and started a new family rather than stand trial for the murder of a former friend, took a plea deal in the U.S. for a 15-year prison sentence. Harper may soon be released from prison and is “looking forward to the conclusion of his punishment so he can return to the life he once had,” including his “interests in Brazil.” Harper had been arrested and charged with murder but posted bail prior to trial. He failed to appear in court in December 1998, and it wasn’t until 12 years later authorities found out where he had been in Brazil where he took a child to register as his own child until Brazilian authorities found out he was a fugitive because he lacked documentation.”
· We will invite experts to discuss the impact of these developments in U.S. and Brazilian law and relationships.
● Who might be invited by you to attend?
Students, Academics, Schools and Universities staff, Human Rights and Civil rights organizations, members of government and the public.
· Who will be included as panelists during this discussion?
A. Academics or Representatives as Co-Moderators.
B. Evellyn Santos, Brazilian MacKenzie U. graduate and US immigrant.
C. Co-Moderator Florida based Attorney Chris Mancini, a former USDOJ Prosecutor from the Southern District Federal Courts of Florida.
D. Sao Paulo Community and Brazilian Government Representatives – To Be Determined.
E. Representatives of International Courts and Legal Educators.
About Mobilized News: Mobilized News (Mobilized) is a solutions-focused information and communications network based in the United States. Our television shows and documentaries reveal our world as an ecosystem of systems working in synergy for the health of the whole.
Our programming reaches millions of people through our distribution partnerships. We are now expanding to include a world summit focused on system change with international leadership focused on tangible solutions.
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