Trio siphoned off tens of millions of euros from Chimarrão group
Three cybercriminals were arrested by PJ police this morning for allegedly siphoning off tens of millions of euros from the Chimarrão Group – which runs a series of all-you-can-eat Brazilian meat restaurants in Portugal – and its founder.
The arrests were carried out as part of an operation dubbed ‘Assinatura d’Ouro’ (Golden Signature).
PJ police revealed the details of their investigation in a statement to the press this morning, explaining that the suspects gained complete control over the restaurant chain’s IT system, particularly its billing operations, allowing them to transfer substantial assets into their own accounts.
Says the criminal police force, the trio “exploited the victims’ vulnerabilities to gradually take over the businesses, raising significant concerns about the legitimacy of various legal transactions.”
The case was brought to the attention of the National Unit for Combating Cybercrime and Technological Crime of the PJ, which carried out an investigation that resulted in 25 search warrants at various locations on Tuesday and led to the arrest of the three suspects.
The searches also resulted in the confiscation of documents and digital evidence, as well as “properties, bank accounts, corporate shares, and luxury vehicles”.
The three suspects, which national tabloid Correio da Manhã reports are believed to be employees of the group, were due to be heard by a judge at Lisbon’s central criminal investigation court.
