Brazil’s Supreme Court convicts 5 in Rio councilwoman Franco's killing

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A five-judge panel of Brazil’s Supreme Court on Wednesday unanimously voted to convict those accused of plotting the 2018 killing of Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco and her driver Anderson Gomes, a case that exposed deep-rooted ties between politics and organized crime.

The case has stirred emotions in the politically divided nation. Some see Franco as a martyr and symbol of left-wing resistance, while allies of former President Jair Bolsonaro have attacked her legacy and the tributes paid to her since her death.

The five men on trial for the killing of the 38-year-old human rights activist-turned-politician were former congressman Chiquinho Brazão; his brother who was a member of a Rio government watchdog, Domingos Brazão; his assistant Robson Calixto Fonseca; former police investigator Rivaldo Barbosa and former police officer Ronald Paulo Alves Pereira.

The Brazão brothers were convicted of the murders of Franco and Gomes and the attempted murder of Fernanda Chaves, Franco’s press officer who was in the car and survived the drive-by shooting. They were sentenced to 76 years and three months in prison.

Pereira was also convicted of the murders and attempted murder and sentenced to 56 years. Barbosa was convicted of passive corruption and obstruction of justice and sentenced to 18 years. Fonseca was convicted of participation in a criminal organization and sentenced to nine years.

Victims' families will also receive 7 million reais ($1.4 million) in compensation for moral damages.

The Brazão brothers were arrested in 2024 as alleged masterminds of the crime. Investigations have linked them to vigilante groups known as militias, which often antagonized Franco.

As he voted in favor of convicting the accused, Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the driving force behind the crime stemmed from a need to maintain “militia modus operandi, to preserve financial gains and to maintain political power in the area.”

Justice Cármen Lúcia expressed her empathy with the victims' families. “Human justice is not capable of soothing this pain,” she said.

The trial began Tuesday, with deputy Attorney-General Hindenburgo Chateaubriand arguing that all five suspects should be found guilty as charged and saying the Brazão brothers led a criminal organization whose primary target was Marcelo Freixo, a politician and current head of Brazil’s government tourism agency, because he interfered with their businesses. Franco worked with Freixo before she was elected councilwoman in 2016.

All the suspects had denied any connection with the councilwoman's killing.

Prosecutors say many of the charges came from plea bargain deals signed with former police officers Ronnie Lessa and Élcio Queiroz, sentenced in October 2024 for the killings to 78 and 59 years in prison, respectively.

Amnesty International Brazil said the case revealed police corruption, obstruction of justice and the operation of organized crime within the state apparatus. “There will be no real justice, nor guarantees of non-repetition, unless these problems are addressed,” it said in a statement, adding that Brazil is one of the countries where human rights defenders are most killed.

The Marielle Franco Institute, set up after Franco's death, said in a statement the convictions mark “a new Brazil. A country that affirms that the lives of Marielle and Anderson matter, that democracy does not tolerate the silence imposed by violence, and that justice is possible when the people stand tall.”

Crime and violence frequently appear as Brazilians' top concern.

On Tuesday, Brazilian lawmakers approved a bill that increases penalties for participation in criminal organizations and provides for the seizure of assets belonging to those under investigation in certain circumstances. It will now go to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for sanctioning.

The bill's adoption, as well as the convictions in Franco's case, are important steps towards tackling widespread impunity for participation in organized crime in Brazil, said Luis Flavio Sapori, a sociologist and public safety expert at Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais.

“But there is still much to be done, especially in creating more effective mechanisms for integration between the federal government and states to confront organized crime,” he added.

Savarese reported from Sao Paulo.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Judge Alexandre de Moraes attends the second day of the trial of those accused of ordering the murder of councilwoman Marielle Franco at the Supreme Court in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

A live image of Judge Alexandre de Moraes is shown at the Supreme Court as family members of the murdered councilwoman Marielle Franco attend the second day of the trial of those accused of ordering the murder of councilwoman Marielle Franco in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Antonio Francisco, left, the father of the councilwoman Marielle Franco, pose for photos with his daughter Anielle Franco, who is Minister of Racial Equality, second from left, and his granddaughter Luyara Franco, third from the left, his wife Marinete Silva, second from right, and Monica Benicio, the widow of Marielle Franco, before the start of the second day of the trial of those accused of ordering the murder of Marielle Franco, at the Supreme Court in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Judge Flavio Dino, center top, presides over the second day of trial of those accused of ordering the murder of councilwoman Marielle Franco at the Supreme Court in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Marinete Silva, mother of councilwoman Marielle Franco, right, gives a news conference with her family at the Supreme Court on the first day of the trial of those accused of ordering her daughter's murder, in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Racial Equality Minister Anielle Franco attends the first day of trial of those accused of ordering the murder of her sister, councilwoman Marielle Franco, at the Supreme Court in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Judge Alexandre de Moraes attends the first day of trial of those accused of ordering the murder of councilwoman Marielle Franco at the Supreme Court in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The FBI served search warrants Wednesday at the Los Angeles Unified School District’s headquarters and the home of its superintendent, a nationally recognized school administrator.

The nature of the federal investigation involving the nation’s second-largest school district and Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s home was not immediately clear. The district said in a statement Wednesday that it “is cooperating with the investigation and we do not have further information at this time.” A third location near Miami, where Carvalho previously led the public schools, was also searched.

TV news footage showed agents in FBI shirts and jackets outside Carvalho’s home in the San Pedro neighborhood about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of downtown LA. There was no visible sign of agents outside the LA district's headquarters as of mid-morning.

Rukelt Dalberis, a spokesperson for the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, confirmed that agents were at the properties to serve warrants but declined to comment further because affidavits laying out details for the basis for the searches were under seal.

Before taking the helm of the Los Angeles district in 2022, Carvalho oversaw Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Florida’s largest school district, from 2008 to 2021. During his tenure, he was credited with improving graduation rates and academic performance. He was named Superintendent of the Year in 2014. The Portugal-born administrator was knighted by Spain in 2021 for his work in expanding Spanish-language programs for Miami-Dade County schools.

In California, Carvalho has stood out as a harsh critic of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown, especially following raids in Los Angeles last year. When its 500,000 students returned to classes in the fall, Carvalho urged immigration authorities not to conduct enforcement activity within a two-block radius of schools.

James Marshall, an FBI spokesman in Miami, told the AP that agents searched a residence in Southwest Ranches, which is in Broward County west of Fort Lauderdale, on Wednesday morning and “have since cleared the scene.” He said no further information was available.

Officials with the Miami-Dade school system did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment on whether the FBI or other federal agencies have contacted them regarding Carvalho.

Wednesday's search is the second time in a week the Justice Department has taken action against the LA school district. On Feb. 19, the Trump administration joined a lawsuit alleging that the district discriminates against white students under its decades-old desegregation policy.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’s office said it had no information about the search, noting the public school system operates independently of city government.

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Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Julie Watson in San Diego also contributed to this report.

outside the home of Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in San Pedro, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)

Photos of board members decorate the walls inside LAUSD headquarters Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

The exterior of LAUSD headquarters is shown Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

The exterior of LAUSD headquarters is shown Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

People stand in the lobby of the LAUSD headquarters Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Media stages outside LAUSD headquarters Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

FILE - Los Angeles District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, at podium, holds a news conference as SEIU Local 99 Executive Director Max Arias, left, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, right, listen, in Los Angeles City Hall, Friday, March 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)