Civil servant sentenced for fraud after severing own foot

The Bahia Court of Justice convicted a 26-year-old university administrative assistant for criminal fraud after he deliberately amputated his own right foot to claim R$ 1.5 million across multiple insurance policies. Enforcement of the penal sanctions ordered by the regional magistracy commenced across the state of Bahia following the conclusion of the case.

Between June and July 2019, the young civil servant arranged four separate protection contracts through Allianz, Zurich, Tokio Marine, and Sompo that together established a combined payout ceiling totaling R$ 1.5 million.

Roughly six weeks after signing the final insurance documents, the man lost his lower right limb and immediately initiated claims for the full compensation packages. During questioning, he claimed that unknown armed assailants had kidnapped him on the street and violently severed the foot before fleeing the scene.

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Policies signed weeks before physical loss

State prosecutors maintained that the brief interval of weeks separating the formal contract signings and the physical loss served as decisive circumstantial proof that unravelled the defendant’s narrative.

Formal insurance payout applications reached the claims departments of the private companies immediately following the bodily injury. Defense lawyers requested an outright judicial acquittal by arguing that investigators failed to present material evidence demonstrating intentional self-mutilation aimed at unlawful enrichment.

Magistrates anchored their final ruling on extensive forensic reports, hospital records, medical expertise, policy clauses, and formal depositions gathered during procedural instruction.

Judge highlights contradictions in robbery claim

Appellate Judge Julio Cezar Lemos Travessa affirmed in the prevailing judicial ruling that trial records proved criminal intent and the execution of insurance fraud. The reporting judge dismissed the defense arguments seeking dismissal of all charges.

Travessa underscored that the public worker had previously confirmed having no personal feuds or enemies, rendering the scenario of unidentified assailants tracking him down solely to perform a brutal surgical amputation completely implausible within the criminal investigation.

When questioned by detectives, the assistant could not specify what physical tools or weapons the purported kidnappers employed to cut off his foot. His answers regarding the exact mechanics of the alleged assault remained vague and evasive throughout police interrogations.

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Officers discovered the man’s intact backpack with its contents undisturbed close to the trauma location, directly contradicting the core defense theory of an armed robbery.

Travessa also emphasized that cumulative monthly premiums for the four coverage contracts consumed practically all the wages the man drew as an administrative assistant at a federal university in Bahia. That massive recurring financial commitment proved entirely disproportionate to his legal monthly earnings.

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The collegiate chamber aligned with the reporting magistrate and upheld the criminal conviction for insurance fraud.

State appellate court blocks transfer to federal bench

Defense attorneys submitted a special appellate motion designed to transfer the case to the Superior Court of Justice in Brasilia. The procedural motion sought to invalidate the adverse judgment issued by the regional court.

Second Vice President of the Bahia Court of Justice José Alfredo Cerqueira da Silva formally denied admission to that federal appeal during review in 2025.

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Cerqueira da Silva observed that dissenting opinions within the appellate chamber permitted further clarifying motions at the state level prior to any federal petition. That remaining internal avenue legally blocked the immediate escalation of the trial record to the capital.

The rejection cited Precedent 207 of the Superior Court of Justice, an established procedural directive prohibiting higher court review before litigants exhaust all standard remedies in regional jurisdictions.

The civil servant began serving his sentence in May under an open penitentiary regime converted into alternative community obligations. He reports periodically to regional court authorities according to conditions set by the sentencing bench.

The sanctions remain in force.