Brazilian National Sentenced to Over One Year in Prison for Perjury
Defendant convicted of murder, attempted murder, and physical and mental torture by Brazilian authorities for his involvement in “The Slaughter of Curió” in 2015
BOSTON – A Brazilian national residing in Malden, Massachusetts, was recently sentenced in federal court in Boston for lying on his asylum application and at an immigration hearing. Upon applying for a U.S. visa, the defendant never disclosed his arrest in a case involving the murders of 11 people, mostly teenagers, in Brazil in retaliation for the death of a police officer, an incident known as The Slaughter of Curió. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services provided valuable assistance to the investigation.
The U.S. Attorney announced Antonio Jose De Abreu Vidal Filho, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to 16 months in prison. De Abreu is subject to deportation after completing the imposed sentence. In February 2025, De Abreu pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury. In May 2024, De Abreu was indicted by a federal grand jury.
In April 2014, De Abreu joined the Ceara State Military Police – Brazilian state forces who, under the governor, do first line policing on the street. In the early morning hours of Nov. 12, 2015, numerous Brazilian military police officers employed by the government of the Brazilian state of Ceará, including De Abreu, participated in a mass killing event of primarily young people from the impoverished neighborhoods of Barroso, Messejana, Guajeru, Curió and Lagoa Redonda in the capital of Ceará.
The killings were in retaliation for the death of another police officer who was attempting to defend his wife who was being assaulted. In total, 11 people, mostly teenagers, were murdered and many others seriously injured and tortured. This incident has come to be known as A Chacina do Curió or The Slaughter of Curió or The Curió Massacre. A total of 45 individuals, including De Abreu, were charged by the Brazilian authorities and, on Aug. 31, 2016, De Abreu was arrested and detained by the Brazilian police. He was subsequently released pending trial on May 24, 2017.
Two weeks later, on June 9, 2017, while in Recife, Brazil, De Abreu applied for a U.S. nonimmigrant B2 visitor visa. When asked whether he had ever been arrested or convicted for any offense or crime, De Abreu responded “no.” Thereafter, on or about June 21, 2017, the United States Department of State approved De Abreu’s visa application and issued him the B2 visa based upon his false representations. De Abreu used the B2 visa and travelled to Miami on May 30, 2018.
Between May 30, 2018 through Aug. 14, 2023, as a result of the approval of his visa application, De Abreu obtained various state driver’s licenses, a Social Security card, travel documents and authorizations for employment.
De Abreu applied for asylum on Jan. 29, 2020, and lied when asked whether he had ever been accused, charged, arrested, detained, interrogated and imprisoned in any country other than the United States. He also failed to disclose his arrest and detention in Brazil when he applied for adjustment of status with USCIS.
On June 25, 2023, De Abreu was convicted of 11 counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder and four counts of physical and mental torture in the First Court of Fortaleza, Ceará. That same day, De Abreu was sentenced to 275 years and 11 months in prison and an arrest warrant issued.
On Feb. 9, 2024, De Abreu testified under oath at an immigration hearing conducted by U.S. Immigration Court, falsely claiming that he had never lied to immigration officials and that the only reason he had left off important information on immigration documents filed with the United States government was because he had not yet been arrested.
Leah B. Foley, United States Attorney; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Boston Field Office; Mathew O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office; and Denis C. Riordan, USCIS District Director, made the announcement. This matter was investigated with the assistance of the United States Interagency Human Rights Violators & War Crimes Center. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura J. Kaplan of the National Security Unit prosecuted the case.
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