The STF's Second Chamber begins judging the preventive detention of Banco Master owner Daniel Vorcaro in a virtual plenary starting Friday (13). This follows his March 4 arrest in Operation Compliance Zero and the recent cancellation of a Senate hearing. The Federal Police believes continued detention boosts chances of collaboration in billion-dollar fraud probes, while his defense seeks release.
In the latest development in the Daniel Vorcaro and Banco Master investigations, the Second Chamber of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) is judging the preventive detention of the banker, arrested for the second time on March 4, 2026, during Operation Compliance Zero, which probes massive frauds in Brazil's financial system. The virtual plenary, led by rapporteur André Mendonça, with Kassio Nunes Marques, Gilmar Mendes (president), and Luiz Fux—Dias Toffoli recused due to case links—runs until March 20.
Vorcaro, transferred to Brasília's Federal Penitentiary after cell phone data revealed plans for an assault on journalist Lauro Jardim and a private militia 'A Turma,' faces stricter conditions than his prior stint in São Paulo following a November 17, 2025 arrest (later relaxed by TRF-1). The Federal Police task force assesses that prolonged detention increases the likelihood of a plea bargain: 'If Vorcaro remains detained, the chances of him delating increase,' per sources. His defense denies negotiations, attributing incriminating messages to past 'bluster.'
The Attorney General's Office (PGR), via Paulo Gonet, questioned the arrest's urgency, but Mendonça denied extra analysis time. Votes from Nunes Marques and Mendes are expected next week. Senator Randolfe Rodrigues (PT-AP), government leader in Congress, urged maintaining the detention: 'I beg the ministers... to confirm Minister André Mendonça's decision... In the Rule of Law, no one is above the law, not even bankers.'
Connections include brother-in-law Fabiano Zettel's R$ 26 million investment in a fund tied to Tayayá resort (linked to Toffoli's brothers), with Coaf flagging R$ 99.4 million in suspicious 2022 movements, plus R$ 1.4 billion defaults in operations with Ricardo Magro's Grupo Fit. This follows the Senate CAE's cancellation of Vorcaro's hearing last week.
