An individual who presented himself as a judge was detained by the Military Police on August 31, 2026, in São Bernardo do Campo, in the ABC Paulista region. He is a law student and was approached that night.
According to the police report, Selmo dos Santos Pereira was carrying a document that showed signs of tampering and claimed to be a judge at the 3rd Criminal Court of Santo André, in Greater São Paulo. The man’s defense has not yet been located.
The police action took place around 9:20 pm, when a team from the 6th Metropolitan Military Police Battalion was carrying out supervisory patrols. The police noticed a car speeding above the speed limit for the road and decided to approach it.
During the vehicle check, no illicit items were located. However, when requesting the driver’s identification, the document presented, according to the agents, showed signs of fraud.
Details about the past of the man who presented himself as a magistrate
Selmo identified himself as Jarbas Luiz dos Santos, claiming to be a judge at the 3rd Criminal Court of Santo André. He also said he was a professor at the São Bernardo do Campo Law School.
The story began to generate distrust during the approach itself. A driver passing by recognized and greeted the man. When questioned by the police, the woman informed that he was, in fact, a law student at the institution, and not a professor.
Given the contradictions in the information, the police decided to take the man to the Police Station so that the situation could be properly investigated.
What happened to the judge whose name was misused
In a parallel action, another Military Police team traveled to the address of the real magistrate, in São Caetano do Sul, where they managed to find him.
The judge attended the police station and confirmed his identity. He also reported that, recently, there was an attempt to purchase a property using his name improperly. This fact will be investigated by the competent authorities.
At the unit of the 2nd Police District of São Bernardo do Campo, an expert fingerprint examination, carried out using fingerprints, confirmed that the man approached was Selmo dos Santos Pereira.
Criminal history of the individual detained by the police
The information recorded in the police report revealed that, after official identification, Selmo dos Santos Pereira had a history of 78 cases and 34 criminal investigations.
According to the record, 22 of these investigations were related to article 171 of the Penal Code, which describes the crime of embezzlement. Furthermore, it was found that there was an active arrest warrant against him for this same charge. Selmo is detained and remains at the disposal of Justice.
The incident was registered as the use of a false document, a crime provided for in article 304 of the Penal Code, and also as the recapture of a person wanted by the courts. The case was forwarded to the Civil Police for appropriate legal action.
