What the Unsealed Master Files Show Inside the Houses
BRAZIL · INVESTIGATION
Key Facts
- —The weapons Former BRB president Paulo Henrique Costa had 16 pistols, five rifles, a revolver and two shotguns when arrested, with thousands of rounds.
- —The count Federal police formalised the seizure of 26 sets of arms and ammunition.
- —When The arrest and search were on 16 April 2026. The detail became public on 12 September when the records were unsealed.
- —The wine Around R$950,000 (about US$187,000) of wine, including ten bottles of Petrus, at the Brasília home of advertising executive Thiago Miranda da Silva.
- —Why he matters He was under contract to Vorcaro to produce a documentary about the Banco Master case, and is himself under investigation.
- —The pendrive Prison officers blocked a pendrive addressed to Vorcaro at the Papuda complex on 12 September. Police requested a forensic examination.
A bank president with 26 sets of firearms, an advertising man with ten bottles of Petrus, and a USB drive that did not contain what the label said.
The lifting of secrecy on the Banco Master investigation has put the contents of several searches into the public record at once, and the inventories are the part that will be remembered.
Twenty-Six Sets of Arms
Paulo Henrique Costa, the former president of BRB, the Brasília state bank, was arrested on 16 April 2026. The search of his property recorded 16 pistols, five rifles, one revolver and two shotguns, together with sealed pouches of assorted ammunition running to thousands of rounds.
Federal police formalised the seizure as 26 sets of arms and ammunition.
The arrest is five months old. What is new is the detail, which entered the public record on 12 September when André Mendonça lifted secrecy on the case files.
Costa is a separate figure in this story from Vorcaro. He sought a plea agreement with the prosecutor-general in April 2026, formalised talks in May, and had the proposal rejected in June.
Ten Bottles of Petrus
A July 2026 search of a Brasília apartment recorded roughly R$950,000 (about US$187,000) of wine, including ten bottles of Petrus, alongside other high-value wines and sparkling wine.
The apartment belongs to Thiago Miranda da Silva, an advertising executive who heads the agency Miranda Comunicação.
His connection to the case is unusual. He was under contract to Daniel Vorcaro to produce a documentary about the Banco Master affair, and he is himself under investigation in it.
A subject commissioning a documentary about the investigation into himself, from a man whose home holds a six-figure wine collection, is the kind of detail that does not require elaboration.
The Pendrive
On 12 September military police at the Papuda federal penitentiary complex in Brasília blocked the delivery of a pendrive addressed to Vorcaro, after finding that its contents did not match what had been declared.
Federal police then requested a forensic examination to establish when the files were last modified and which devices had last been connected to the drive.
That is an examination rather than a tracking operation, and the distinction matters because the two describe different investigative acts.
Vorcaro has been held at the complex since March, when he was transferred from a federal prison in the São Paulo area.
One Item That Does Not Check Out
A Bentley, an Aston Martin and a Cartier watch have been described as found among the possessions of Vorcaro’s father. The Rio Times could not locate that report in any outlet and does not publish it.
What does exist concerning Henrique Vorcaro is different. His home at Nova Lima was burgled in June 2026, with around R$5 million (about US$982,000) of jewellery and watches taken including a Richard Mille, and he was separately arrested amid asset-freeze proceedings.
Neither of those is the same story, and merging them would be an invention.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was found at the former BRB president’s home?
16 pistols, five rifles, a revolver and two shotguns with thousands of rounds, formalised as 26 sets of arms and ammunition.
When was that search?
16 April 2026. The detail became public on 12 September when the case records were unsealed.
What was the wine collection?
Around R$950,000 (about US$187,000) of wine including ten bottles of Petrus, at the home of advertising executive Thiago Miranda da Silva.
Why is he in the case?
He was contracted by Vorcaro to produce a documentary about the Banco Master affair and is himself under investigation.
What happened with the pendrive?
Prison officers blocked it on 12 September because its contents did not match the declaration. Police requested a forensic examination.
Sources: Estadão, Diário do Grande ABC, Jornal Opcao, BNews, Times Brasil, Metrópoles.
This article was drafted with automated assistance and reviewed before publication. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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