STF Confirms Arrest of Accountant Linked to Leak of 1,819 Tax Returns

Overview

• STF minister Alexandre de Moraes ordered the preventive detention of Washington Travassos de Azevedo on March 13, with a custody hearing on March 14 upholding the arrest.
• Azevedo is being held in Rio de Janeiro after transfer to Bangu 8, following initial custody at the José Frederico Marques facility in Benfica.
• The court says data from 1,819 individuals were accessed between January 8, 2024, and January 27, 2026, including people linked to STF and TCU ministers, federal deputies, former senators, an ex-governor, regulators and business leaders.
• The Federal Police launched Operation Dataleaks in early March with search-and-seizure warrants and temporary arrests; previous phases also imposed electronic monitoring on other suspects.
• In a deposition reported by local media, Azevedo allegedly admitted illegal access and identified a recipient, while much of the investigation remains under judicial secrecy and ties into the STF’s long-running 2019 ‘fake news’ inquiry.