Leaked audio reveals Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro sought millions from jailed banker in corruption scandal

Leaked audio recordings published May 14, 2026 by Intercept Brasil reveal Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, Brazil's leading right-wing presidential candidate tied in polls with President Lula, requesting $12-26.8 million from imprisoned banker Daniel Vorcaro to fund a film about his father Jair Bolsonaro. Vorcaro is at the center of Brazil's largest banking fraud scandal involving R$60 billion in losses from Master Bank, where he allegedly defrauded 800,000 clients and paid millions in bribes to officials. The revelation, which Flávio initially denied before acknowledging, is seen as the most serious blow to his 2026 campaign, with critics questioning the unusually high budget and anti-establishment credentials eroding. The film's producers deny receiving any funds from Vorcaro, while an advertising executive claims at least $12 million was paid, leaving the money's destination unclear.

Leaked audio scandal

• ▪Flávio Bolsonaro was caught on tape asking banker Daniel Vorcaro for $26.8 million to fund a film about Jair Bolsonaro
• ▪The leaked voice memos and text messages involving Flávio Bolsonaro were published on May 14, 2026 by the Intercept Brasil
• ▪In the recordings, Flávio Bolsonaro refers to Daniel Vorcaro as "brother" and presses Daniel Vorcaro for payment to ensure Jim Caviezel and director Cyrus Nowrasteh were paid

Vorcaro banking fraud case

• ▪Police accused senator Ciro Nogueira of having received monthly bribes of up to R$500,000 to act in Daniel Vorcaro's interests
• ▪Daniel Vorcaro is currently in prison and at the centre of what many consider Brazil's largest banking fraud and one of the biggest corruption scandals in recent history, with total losses estimated at R$60 billion
• ▪Daniel Vorcaro was the majority shareholder in the small private Master Bank
• ▪Daniel Vorcaro is accused of defrauding many of Master Bank's 800,000 clients out of hundreds of millions of pounds by offering returns far above market rates
• ▪Senator Ciro Nogueira denies the allegations of receiving bribes from Daniel Vorcaro

Film funding controversy

• ▪Daniel Vorcaro responded to Flávio Bolsonaro's dinner invitation by suggesting the dinner be held at Daniel Vorcaro's home
• ▪Jim Caviezel portrayed Jesus in Mel Gibson's 2004 Passion of the Christ
• ▪The film about Jair Bolsonaro is described as a "heroic" biopic in which Jair Bolsonaro is played by Jim Caviezel
• ▪Jim Caviezel and Cyrus Nowrasteh are not accused of wrongdoing in the funding controversy
• ▪Cyrus Nowrasteh is the director of the film about Jair Bolsonaro
• ▪In the messages, Flávio Bolsonaro invites Daniel Vorcaro to a private dinner with Jim Caviezel and Cyrus Nowrasteh in São Paulo
• ▪An advertising executive reportedly hired to broker the film funding deal told O Globo that at least $12 million had been paid

Political fallout

• ▪Romeu Zema, the governor of Minas Gerais who is a presidential hopeful, called the recordings "a slap in the face to decent Brazilians"
• ▪Flávio Bolsonaro is a far-right senator who is tied in polls with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ahead of October 2026's election

Budget irregularities investigation

• ▪Celso Rocha de Barros said the way the film money was raised still needs to be investigated
• ▪The requested film budget of $26.8 million is far above the budgets of two internationally successful Brazilian films: I'm Still Here, which won the Oscar for best international feature in 2025 with a budget of $8.9 million, and The Secret Agent, nominated for best picture in 2026 with $5.6 million
• ▪Some have drawn comparisons between the unusually high budget for the Jair Bolsonaro film and the $40 million plus $35 million spent on marketing by Amazon for a documentary about U.S. first lady Melania Trump