Rio Court Orders Preventive Arrest of Ex-Hurb CEO After False ID Detention in Ceará

Overview

• João Ricardo Rangel Mendes was stopped on Jan. 5 at Jericoacoara airport trying to fly to Guarulhos with a fake ID, and police said his ankle monitor was discharged.
• He was booked for use of a false document and, at a Jan. 6 custody hearing in Ceará, was released on local conditions including a nightly curfew and a ban on leaving his comarca.
• On Jan. 6, Rio state prosecutors sought his preventive detention, arguing risk of flight and ongoing noncompliance such as failure to file required medical reports since September.
• On Jan. 7, Judge André Felipe Veras de Oliveira of Rio’s 32nd Criminal Court ordered preventive custody and his transfer to Rio, citing risk to public order and SEAP reports of monitoring violations.
• The defense contests that the monitor was proven to be off and says his health care is the priority; Mendes has worn an ankle monitor since his Aug. 2025 release in a Rio art-theft case.