EXPLOITED HIS BABY
Cruel dad stole THOUSANDS from his seriously ill son’s medical fund to spend on hookers, booze and drugs
A HEARTLESS father who stole thousands of pounds from his seriously ill baby son’s bank account, squandered the money on prostitutes, booze and drugs, Brazil police say.
Unemployed Mateus Alves, 37, is accused of plundering more than £130,000 from money raised to prolong his son's life, in order to fund his life of luxury on the run.
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Family and friends had raised £216,000 (1 million reais) to buy expensive medication needed to prolong the life of 19-month-old, João Miguel.
João has Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a rare degenerative neuromuscular disease.
The funds were earmarked to buy three doses of Spinraza (also known as Nusinersen), the first approved drug to treat the disorder which is not available on the nation’s national health service.
Each dose costs up to £81,000 and the little boy needs six rounds of the injection, administered near the spinal cord.
The father of two was arrested at a five star beachfront hotel in Salvador, north east Brazil, on July 22.
He had allegedly been hiding out at the hotel for over a month during his spending spree.
Police chief Daniel Gomes said: “At the time of his arrest, Mateus claimed he had spent the money bingeing on women, drinks and drugs.
"He also alleged that he was being blackmailed by drug dealers for the rest of the money. But we have no evidence so far to support this claim.”
At the time of his arrest, Mateus claimed he had spent the money bingeing on women, drinks and drugs
Police chief Daniel Gomes
Investigators concluded their inquiry into the case on Thursday, revealing there were indications Alves was planning to open a brothel in the city with a female business partner.
He had allegedly spent £10,800 to recruit women for the illicit venture.
Gomes said: “During questioning, Mateus told us that he had already invested 50,000 reais in a brothel in Salvador to become a joint owner.
“His role would be to bring women from Belo Horizonte in south east Brazil to work in Salvador.
“According to our information, he planned to bring at least four women and put them up in rented apartments as call girls.
"In return, they would have to pass some of the money raised from their services to him.”
When cops raided the hotel’s penthouse suite, they reportedly found a collection of expensive watches, jewellery, perfume and designer clothes, along with drugs and £650 in cash.
He planned to bring at least four women and put them up in rented apartments as call girls
Police chief Daniel Gomes
Investigators released selfies allegedly filmed by the accused in which he boasted about his lavish lifestyle, showed off a packet of ‘pure full-strength’ weed and gushed over his plush hotel room.
Relaxing in a roof top swimming pool the suspect bragged in another video: “I come from a poor background, but now I don’t have anything to do with that.”
The huge sums raised for his baby son during a year of crowdfunding campaigns included online appeals, auctions, donations and a variety of activities.
Alves and his wife, Karine, who share an older 10 year old son, deposited the money into four savings accounts with each responsible for two of them.
The devastated housewife said her husband appeared dedicated and loving towards their sick son.
She added that she would never have believed he could be capable of putting his son’s life at risk by allegedly robbing the funds and betraying the trust of scores of supporters.
In an Instagram statement she said: “As a mother, my conduct has always been guided by good faith and for the sole purpose of trying to save the life of my son João Miguel.”
Suspicious behaviour
She said Alves started acting suspiciously in May after he claimed he needed to attend safety training courses for a new job as a security guard.
He travelled to Belo Horizonte, some 62 miles from their home town of Conselheiro Lafaiete and soon became elusive and difficult to reach after a few weeks of being away.
By June, Karine, suspected her husband had been withdrawing cash from the two accounts in her name after transactions were made without her authorisation.
Detectives believe Alves got hold of his wife’s password and made online transfers to the accounts in his name.
Karine alerted police and got a judicial order from the Childhood and Youth Court blocking access to them.
But it was too late. Large sums had already been siphoned off.
At the beginning of July, Alves failed to return home to the tight-knit community who had been so supportive of his family.
Many of the town’s residents, who were moved by the child’s plight and helped to raise the cash, are shocked and angered by the reports.
Premiere league goalkeeper, Victor Bagy, who plays for Atletico Mineiro donated his shirt for an auction and even local police officers had been involved.
Resident Carlos Capistrano said to FocusOn News: “The police put on a ‘race for life’ here and there were over 500 participants running to help Joao’s cause.
"Everyone today feels betrayed by Mateus’s conduct.”
Before fleeing to Salvador, cops believe Alves spent nine days bedding and partying with prostitutes while under the pretence of attending safety courses in May.
Gomes said: “We found indications he withdrew more than 7,000 reais (£1,500) from the accounts during this period. We suspect this was used to stay in one of the most luxurious suites in a motel in Belo Horizonte.
“The apartment has a wine cellar with imported wines, a minibar, gourmet dining area, jukebox and cable TV with X-rated movies. The bedroom even has a pole dancing bar, whirlpool and special ambient lighting.”
Túlio de Melo Silva, lawyer for the accused, said his client has a history of drug abuse and depression and has expressed regret for what he is accused of doing.
He also claimed that Alves was a victim of extortion.
He said: “While Mateus was in Belo Horizonte for the safety training, a drug trafficker found out about the campaign for his son and started threatening his life if he didn’t hand over some of the money.”
Investigators said this claim still needs to be substantiated and they are determined to recover the value of the missing funds to continue the boy's treatment.
The accused has been charged with acting fraudulently, scamming and deceiving people into donating money for his son's campaign and using it for another purpose.
He also has to answer for abandoning his wife and two children.
Both charges carry a penalty of up to five years.
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In a similar case, Australian wellness blogger Belle Gibson tricked the world into believing she had healed herself of brain cancer through healthy food.
Ms Gibson launched an app, made multiple book deals and gained thousands of followers online.
She claimed 95 per cent of her app proceeds went to charity and alleged she was working with 20 organisations.
However, the success saw her move to a $1m (£582,200) beach-side house, buy a new BMW X3 and get her teeth cosmetically straightened.
In 2017, she was given a £240,000 fine for exploiting fans, but was recently caught at Melbourne airport after a £8,000 five-week safari.
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