Luxury assets, travel, and threats: what is known about the influencer investigated over illegal gambling in Tocantins

Brazilian police say Elizabeth Melo, known as Beth Melo, moved more than R$ 3.5 million in one year despite declaring monthly income of up to R$ 5,000. For high-risk operators, the key detail is not the influencer drama; it is the alleged use of online gambling promotion, payment processors linked to international casinos, and shell companies to move money.

1. According to the police report, the financial flow under investigation totaled more than R$ 3.5 million between March 2023 and March 2024, which investigators say was incompatible with her declared income of between R$ 1.9 thousand and R$ 5 thousand per month.
2. The Civil Police says Elizabeth used her social media reach to attract bettors to the so-called jogo do tigrinho, promising prizes and financial gains. The case was opened in March 2024 after anonymous complaints about her activity online.
3. The investigation covers illegal gambling, money laundering, and unauthorized lottery operation. Police also say she threatened followers who were considering reporting the platforms, including references in recorded statements to sending “visits” to anyone who tried to denounce her.
4. The Financial Intelligence Report (RIF) from Coaf identified the use of shell companies receiving funds from payment processors linked to international online casinos, with no real commercial activity matching the amounts involved.
5. Police say the funds were moved using smurfing, the splitting of larger amounts into many smaller withdrawals, each below R$ 50,000. The court ordered the seizure of assets and the blocking of up to R$ 3.4 million in financial assets.

Elizabeth Melo has more than 65,000 followers on Instagram. That matters because this is the part that payment teams and risk officers will recognize immediately: social-led acquisition, gambling offers, and layered payout flows are a familiar combination when prosecutors start asking how the money moved.