Ex-vereadora 'Mãe Loira do Funk' arrested for 2011 torture of ex-husband

Verônica Costa, a businesswoman and former Rio de Janeiro city councillor known as 'Mãe Loira do Funk,' was arrested on the evening of Thursday, September 24, in the Vale das Videiras neighborhood of Araras, Petrópolis, in Rio's mountainous region. The arrest followed a court order issued after her conviction for torture became final—meaning all legal appeals had been exhausted. Costa had been considered a fugitive since police failed to locate her at her registered address in Barra da Tijuca on Wednesday, September 23.

Costa was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months in closed regime by Rio's Court of Justice in 2023. The sentence arose from a 2011 incident involving her then-husband Márcio Costa. According to police statements filed by Costa's ex-husband, on February 21–22, 2011, he was bound, blindfolded, and gagged in the couple's bedroom by Costa and four family members—her brother Bruno Chaves Ribeiro, her sister Tatiane Chaves Ribeiro, Tatiane's husband Bruno Marcelo Bahia Marques, and her stepfather Sebastião de Oliveira Evangelista. Costa reportedly questioned her ex-husband repeatedly about alleged campaign fund embezzlement. The alleged torture lasted approximately 20 hours and included submersion in toilet water and bathtub, insecticide spray to the face, and gasoline poured over his body with threats of fire. Medical examinations documented chemical burns and welts across his face, neck, genitals, and other areas consistent with restraint marks. Costa escaped on February 22 and received medical attention, requiring hospitalization in two facilities.

The 2019 first-instance judgment sentenced Costa to 5 years and 10 months. After the Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro appealed, the state's Appeals Court increased the penalty to 10 years and 8 months in 2023 and confirmed the loss of her city council seat. Costa's defense has maintained that the conviction rests solely on the ex-husband's account without corroborating evidence, and claimed the victim refused to provide genetic material and had allegedly threatened Costa before the incident. Costa herself denied the charges in 2011, stating her ex-husband arrived home injured, intoxicated, and threatening; she filed a countercomplaint alleging he stole computers, cameras, recording equipment, and money from her home.

Three other family members were also arrested during Thursday's operation: brother Bruno Chaves Ribeiro (sentenced to 10 years and 8 months), sister Tatiane Chaves Ribeiro Marques, and brother-in-law Bruno Marcelo Bahia Marques (both sentenced to 10 years). Stepfather Sebastião de Oliveira Evangelista, also sentenced to 10 years, remained at large. None of the family members had been in custody prior to this week's enforcement action. Costa had been a member of the Liberal Party (PL) since 2022.