Who Is Willer Tomaz, Flávio Bolsonaro’s Friend, and Why He Appears in a Bets-Linked Money Laundering Probe

Brazilian lawyer Willer Tomaz is under investigation on suspicion of money laundering, with a report citing signs of his de facto control or ownership of Rede Loto, a company in the betting sector. For high-risk PSPs, the useful part here is not the political gossip; it is the mechanics of how betting-related entities can end up inside a laundering and capital flight probe.

1. Tomaz is a lawyer and businessman who owns Willer Tomaz Advogados Associados and also partners with Eugênio Aragão, former Justice Minister under Dilma Rousseff, in Aragão e Tomaz. He has business interests in real estate, aviation, and communications, and owns Sistema Difusora de Comunicação in Maranhão, which includes television and radio operations.
2. In legal work, Tomaz represented Eldorado Brasil Celulose, part of the J&F group, in the Operation Greenfield case, which examined irregularities in pension fund investments. He also represented former Chamber Speaker Arthur Lira (PP-AL) before higher courts.
3. Tomaz is publicly known as a personal friend of senator and presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro (PL). Both say the relationship is personal and deny any business ties. The text also says Tomaz has a close relationship with senator Weverton Rocha (PDT), with friendship and professional ties, since Tomaz has acted in cases defending the senator.
4. In August, a photo found by the Federal Police on Weverton Rocha’s phone and published by piauí showed a gathering at the pool of Rancho Tomaz, Tomaz’s property in Planaltina. The meeting was organized through a WhatsApp group called “Grupo Seleto,” and the photograph is said to have been taken on 23 April 2023. Among those present were Arthur Lira, Juscelino Filho, Alexandre Ramagem, Elmar Nascimento, Paulo Azi, Weverton Rocha, and others.
5. The investigation began in Rio Grande do Sul, where authorities were looking into the use of online betting houses for money laundering and foreign exchange evasion, and later moved into sports betting activity in Rio de Janeiro. According to the report, there are “elements indicating a link of control or de facto ownership by Willer Tomaz over Rede Loto.” On Tuesday (20), a technical note from the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA), linked to the Ministry of Finance, was issued in the case.

For payment firms, this is the relevant pattern: betting operators do not always show up in enforcement actions as clean corporate shells with obvious names on the door. Sometimes the investigation is about control, beneficial ownership, and money flows around the operation rather than a neat legal entity on paper. That is exactly the sort of problem that gets PSPs, acquirers, and banking partners dragged into uncomfortable questions later.