Prosecutors bring criminal charges against Corinthians vice-president | OneFootball

The São Paulo Public Prosecutor’s Office has filed criminal charges against Armando Mendonça, vice president of Corinthians, for the alleged crimes of aggravated embezzlement, attempted embezzlement, aggravated theft through abuse of trust, and coercion during legal proceedings.

Central do Timão obtained access to the complaint, signed by prosecutor Cássio Roberto Conserino and filed last Wednesday (3). The filing is based on an internal audit carried out by Corinthians to investigate the inflow and outflow of sports equipment in the club’s storage facilities, in addition to supplementary investigations conducted by the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Photo: Central do Timão

According to the complaint, Armando allegedly misappropriated 131 Nike sports items belonging to Corinthians between June and October 2025. The listed materials include 100 shirts, nine sweatshirts, nine pairs of pants, six pairs of sneakers, four pairs of shorts, two bags, and one backpack taken from the storage facilities at Parque São Jorge and the Joaquim Grava Training Center. The Public Prosecutor’s Office claims that the products were obtained because of the position held by the executive and were allegedly intended for personal use or distribution to third parties without formal authorization.

In addition, the prosecutor accuses the executive of attempting to appropriate another 19 NFL shirts related to the event held by Corinthians in partnership with the American football league. According to the complaint, the removal was not completed because the internal audit identified the movement before the act was carried out, leading to the cancellation of the request.

The document also attributes to Armando the taking of eight NFL shirts through abuse of trust. According to the accusation, the items were removed without the formalization of the internal procedures normally required by the club.

Internal audit formed the basis of the investigation

The complaint states that the inquiry originated from an audit ordered by Corinthians president Osmar Stabile and carried out by the club’s Technology Department. The work identified failures in inventory control, movements without institutional justification, and withdrawals of materials directly linked to the vice president’s name.

According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Corinthians’ internal system recorded requests, approvals, and releases of materials connected to the executive. The accusation cites several requests and states that all stages of the movements identified Armando as the requester and recipient of the products.

The filing also highlights that part of the materials was allegedly requested with the express justification of the vice president’s “personal use.” Among the examples mentioned are official shirts, sneakers, travel sweatshirts, polo shirts, jackets, hoodies, shorts, and backpacks.

Another point addressed by the prosecution concerns the governance of sports equipment control. The document states that the audit found inconsistencies in the entry of Nike invoices into the club’s system and points out that millions of reais in received products were not properly recorded, a situation which, according to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, exposes Corinthians to fiscal and tax risks.

Attempt to intimidate witnesses

The complaint also accuses Armando of coercion during legal proceedings. The Public Prosecutor’s Office maintains that, during the investigations, the executive sent out-of-court notices to Marcelo Munhoes and Reginaldo Prado do Nascimento, who were responsible for the internal audit, demanding a retraction and disputing the audit’s findings.

According to the prosecutor, the notices were sent after the investigations had begun and after one of the statements given to the police. For the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the demand for a retraction accompanied by the threat of judicial, administrative, and criminal measures was used as a form of psychological pressure on the witnesses.

The accusation also mentions a telephone recording of about 39 minutes between Armando and Marcelo Munhoes, made in September 2025. The conversation was attached to the case file by means of a notarized record and, according to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, contains statements interpreted as threats and admissions related to the removal of materials from the club.

Defense and next steps

According to the complaint, Armando was questioned during the police investigation and admitted to having removed part of the materials, but claimed that the items were used in institutional relationship-building activities and that there was no internal rule prohibiting this kind of allocation. The Public Prosecutor’s Office, however, says that no documents were presented capable of proving the institutional purpose of the withdrawals or identifying the beneficiaries of the distributed products.

At the end of the complaint, the prosecution requests the opening of criminal proceedings, the executive’s conviction for the crimes alleged, and the setting of compensation to Corinthians. The Public Prosecutor’s Office also requests precautionary measures, including Armando’s temporary removal from the club’s staff, a ban on entering Corinthians facilities, and a prohibition on contacting witnesses and executives for the duration of the proceedings.

Central do Timão contacted Armando Mendonça for comment on the complaint filed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Should there be any statement, the article will be updated.

Last Tuesday (2), the vice president obtained an injunction from the courts ordering the suspension of the ethical-disciplinary proceeding opened against him at Corinthians. In the decision, the judge found there to be sufficient indications of possible irregularities in the conduct of the procedure and ordered the immediate suspension of the deadline for presenting a defense, as well as all acts of instruction, judgment, and deliberation related to the case.

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.