On October 21, Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced seven defendants from Nucleus 4 of the coup plot during former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration. By a 4–1 vote, the justices found the defendants guilty of promoting disinformation and launching virtual attacks on institutions in 2022.
The convictions included armed criminal organization and attempted coup d’état, with prison sentences ranging from 7 to 17 years. Notably, Army reserve major Ângelo Martins Denicoli received the longest sentence at 17 years. The defendants will remain free until they appeal the verdict.
In addition to prison time, they are required to pay BRL 30 million in damages for property destruction during the January 8 coup attempts. They will also be prohibited from running for office for eight years post-sentence.
The Supreme Court has now convicted 15 defendants linked to this coup plot, with trials for other groups (Nucleus 2 and Nucleus 3) scheduled for December 9 and November 11, respectively. Nucleus 5, which involves businessman Paulo Figueiredo, awaits trial with no date set yet.
