Leaked Audio Reveals Bolsonaro's Son Asked Banker for $26.8 Million for Film About His Father

Flávio Bolsonaro, a far-right Brazilian senator who leads the presidential race, was caught on leaked audio asking banker Daniel Vorcaro — who faces corruption charges — to pay $26.8 million (134 million Brazilian reais) for a biographical film glorifying his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro.

The leaked recordings and text messages were published by Intercept Brasil on Wednesday (May 13, 2026) and later acknowledged by Flávio Bolsonaro. He is the far-right candidate who is now neck-and-neck with incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in opinion polls ahead of the October election.

The scandal is seen as the heaviest blow since the senator declared his candidacy as a proxy for his father, who is under house arrest after being convicted of plotting a coup.

In the recordings, Flávio Bolsonaro is heard proposing a budget of R$134 million ($26.8 million) for a "heroic" biopic, in which Jair Bolsonaro would be played by Jim Caviezel — the actor who portrayed Jesus in Mel Gibson's 2004 film "The Passion of the Christ."

These requests were addressed to banker Daniel Vorcaro, who is currently in jail at the center of the country's biggest bank fraud, one of the worst corruption scandals in recent history, with total losses estimated at R$60 billion ($12 billion).

In messages sent before Vorcaro's arrest — but after many accusations against him had become widely known — Flávio called the banker "brother" and pushed for payment to secure payment for Caviezel and director Cyrus Nowrasteh.

"We are at a very important point for the film because there are many overdue payments, so everyone is stressed... Imagine we default on someone like Jim Caviezel, or Cyrus... It would be very bad," Flávio's voice was heard in the recording.

The revelations sparked a backlash even within the far-right. Governor of Minas Gerais state, Romeu Zema — a potential presidential candidate who had avoided criticizing the Bolsonaro family — called the recordings "a slap in the face of decent Brazilians." Meanwhile, a conservative lawmaker suggested replacing Flávio on the ticket with Bolsonaro's wife, Michelle.

"The blow to Flávio's campaign is truly devastating — this is the worst news so far," said sociologist Celso Rocha de Barros, adding that "Flávio's anti-establishment credibility, which allowed him to rival Lula, could quickly erode."

Vorcaro is the largest shareholder of Master Bank, a small private bank, and is accused of defrauding many of its 800,000 clients out of hundreds of millions of pounds by offering yields far above market rates. To cover losses and expand further, he is accused of paying millions of dollars in bribes to officials and politicians. Vorcaro denies all charges and awaits trial in jail.

The scandal has shaken Brazilian society from football to religion, politics to judiciary. It first touched the Bolsonaro family last week when police accused Senator Ciro Nogueira, a former senior member of the former president's cabinet, of receiving monthly bribes of up to R$500,000 ($100,000) to serve the bank's interests. Nogueira denies the allegations.

When Flávio's messages to Vorcaro were revealed, he initially denied but later acknowledged them, saying it was 'a son seeking private funding for a private film about his father's story.' In the messages, he invited Vorcaro to a private dinner with Caviezel and Nowrasteh, and the banker responded by suggesting hosting it at his home. Caviezel and Nowrasteh have not been accused of wrongdoing; neither has responded to requests for comment.

Flávio Bolsonaro did not respond to a request for comment, and on social media, he did not say whether he eventually received the money. However, a advertising executive hired as an intermediary for the deal told newspaper O Globo that at least $12 million was paid, and documents filed with tax authorities show that a portion of the money was transferred to a intermediary company.

The amount far exceeds the budgets of two internationally successful Brazilian films: 'I'm Still Here,' which won the 2025 Oscar on an $8.9 million budget, and the 2026 nominee 'The Secret Agent' with $5.6 million. Some compare the unusually high budget to the $40 million plus $35 million marketing Amazon spent on a documentary about U.S. First Lady Melania Trump.

The film production company about Bolsonaro and the executive producer — a former Bolsonaro minister — have denied the project received any funding from Vorcaro. Barros emphasized: "This budget is completely out of step with national productions, and the foreign participants are not top-tier. The fundraising method still needs investigation... The producers say the money never reached them. So where did it go?"