An investigation by the program Fantástico has uncovered the logistical details behind Senator Flávio Bolsonaro's departure from Brazil for the United States. Relying on documents from Argentina's immigration system obtained through international cooperation, the report reveals that the politician's operation involved three separate entries into Argentine territory within a span of 40 minutes. The investigation also points to the involvement of an individual identified as a former official of Israeli intelligence.
The flight to the exterior originated in Puerto Iguazú, Argentina, a city bordering Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil. This location was chosen because its international airport features a 3,300-meter runway capable of accommodating large executive jets. Flávio Bolsonaro left Brazil after the Supreme Federal Court (STF) ordered him to surrender his passports to the Federal Police.
Data indicates the route was split into two fronts. In one version of events, Flávio Bolsonaro departed Brasília at 5:05 AM on Tuesday, October 27, aboard a Cessna Citation Excel jet linked to lawyer Willer Tomaz, a friend of the senator. The aircraft landed at 8:40 AM in San Fernando, near Buenos Aires, from where the politician reportedly took another private flight to Puerto Iguazú. Meanwhile, Flávio's wife, Fernanda, and their two daughters left Brasília on a second plane bound for Cascavel in western Paraná.
At 8:02 PM that same night, the three women boarded a van at the Cascavel airport hangar identified as belonging to Iguaçu Dallas Travel Turismo Ltda., a company based in Foz do Iguaçu. However, checks with the Federal Revenue Service revealed only a parking lot at the registered address, and local workers stated the agency never operated there. The person responsible for the parking lot claimed to be the sister of one of the company's representatives but refused to provide her sister's address. Dallas Turismo subsequently issued a statement on social media denying they transported the candidate.
Immigration records show that two vans from the company crossed the border from Foz do Iguaçu into Argentina that night. The van arriving from Cascavel carried data for the senator's wife and daughters. Regarding Flávio Bolsonaro, the system registered three entries in the same vehicle: at 10:37 PM with an Italian passport, at 10:40 PM with a driver's license, and at 11:11 PM with a Brazilian passport. The two records using Brazilian documents were later canceled, leaving only the entry with the Italian passport as valid.
The second van crossed the checkpoint approximately seven minutes earlier. It carried driver Neri Luiz Dala Corte, lawyer Roberto Jorge Alexandre—who has defended former President Jair Bolsonaro—and Menachem Booky Halevy, identified as a former Israeli intelligence officer. Halevy, who has records of attending events alongside officials such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had entered Brazil on October 19 via Guarulhos and already had three other trips to the country that year.
When contacted at his residence, driver Neri Luiz Dala Corte stated he was hired to pick up two men at a gas station in Foz do Iguaçu and take them to Puerto Iguazú airport, denying he saw any members of the Bolsonaro family. "I took two people I don't even know who they are. I simply dropped them off at the airport," he said. Argentine journalist Nicolás Munafó, who was present at the airport, confirmed seeing the motorcade and reported the presence of police escort and official vehicles, including a truck from the Airport Security Police and Brazilian pickup trucks followed by Argentine vehicles, one with diplomatic plates.
Despite the land entry records, the main line of investigation suggests Flávio Bolsonaro arrived in Puerto Iguazú by air from Buenos Aires and waited for hours on the runway inside the aircraft for his family to arrive. The operation has raised questions in Argentina, where the judiciary ordered the preservation of security camera footage from the border and the airport. Argentine Deputy Marcela Pagano stated she demanded explanations regarding irregularities in immigration control, police escorts, and transport in diplomatic vehicles from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The flight to the United States was conducted on a Gulfstream G400 luxury jet operated by the Argentine company Baires Fly. Company owner Luis Grande told France Press that the flight cost $150,000 (approximately 800,000 reais), paid by an aviation intermediary based in the US via a transfer from an American corporate account to an Argentine bank. Grande stated he did not know who the final client was. North American press reported that Jason Miller, an advisor to Donald Trump, may have arranged the trip, while the Argentine newspaper Clarín published that American agents allegedly took control of part of the Puerto Iguazú airport.
The jet carrying Flávio Bolsonaro and his family made a refueling stop in Guayaquil, Ecuador, before heading to Miami. They landed on the morning of Wednesday, October 28, at the Opa-Locka Executive Airport. Regarding Flávio's arrival, President Donald Trump stated he "took no side" in the Brazilian elections. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied assisting the senator's exit from Brazil, stating that the US government had no direct participation in the movements and that the parliamentarian already possessed a visa.
Hours after arriving in the United States, Flávio Bolsonaro released a letter contesting the presidential election results without presenting evidence of fraud. In an initial version, he referred to himself as the "true elected president of Brazil," but in a modified version, he defined himself as the "leader of Brazil." Lawyer Frederick Wassef, Flávio's legal representative, told Fantástico that no information about the trip is official and denied it was a flight. The office of lawyer Willer Tomaz also issued a statement denying that any aircraft belonging to him or his family companies was used by the senator or his relatives to leave Brazil.
Flávio Bolsonaro holds his Senate mandate until the end of January next year, after which he will be without an elected position and privileged forum for the first time in 24 years. He is currently under investigation by the STF in two inquiries: one regarding alleged money laundering with lawyer Willer Tomaz linked to betting companies, and another concerning transfers for the film Dark Horse made by former banker Daniel Vorcaro. Willer Tomaz also denied allegations of money laundering in a statement.
Sources: G1.