Brazilian lawyer accused of rape by receptionist in Manaus amid extortion allegations
17 de April de 2025
By Jadson Lima – From Cenarium
MANAUS (AM) – Receptionist Marcella Nascimento Pinto, 34, reported lawyer Francisco Charles Garcia Júnior to the Amazonas Civil Police (PC-AM) for the crime of rape. According to the Police Report (BO), the man committed sexual abuse twice against the victim, who was threatened with a firearm. Francisco Charles Garcia Júnior is the nephew of former mayor of Parintins (AM), Frank Bi Garcia (PSD).
This Wednesday, 16th, Marcella Pinto spoke to the press about the case. According to the woman, the abuse occurred when the lawyer asked for her assistance at a law office located in the Adrianópolis neighbourhood, in the Central-South Zone of Manaus. Marcella also stated that she was assaulted during one of the incidents and that her mobile phone was taken by the suspect. The case was reported to the Specialised Police Station for Crimes Against Women (DECCM).
“He hid my phone so I couldn’t record anything, I couldn’t defend myself. That day when I went upstairs [to the place where Francisco Júnior was], he made me touch his genitals,” reads part of a statement. Distressed, Marcella repeated what was stated in the report filed with the PC-AM. After she began crying, the suspect allegedly asked the then-receptionist to wash her face in the bathroom.
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In addition to the report filed on 7 April 2025, the authorities also requested the Amazonas Court of Justice (TJAM) to grant a protective measure in favour of the victim. Among the requests made by PC-AM are: prohibition of approaching the victim, her relatives and witnesses; and prohibition of any form of contact with the victim and witnesses.
“Every time I went upstairs, I was afraid he would kill me, because there were two black revolvers and a saucer with some powder. My biggest fear was dying, because I’m a single mother and I needed my job, I had to support my home and my daughter,” the victim stated.
Marcella also requested a criminal investigation against lawyer Francisco Garcia Júnior “for the criminal offence of rape, authorising the initiation of a police procedure based on the facts narrated in the Police Report.” After the formal request, PC-AM is following the standard procedure and has begun investigating the suspect.
In a statement posted on Instagram this Wednesday, 16th, lawyer Charles Garcia Júnior claimed that he has been a victim of extortion by the complainant and her lawyer for the past 15 days.
Read the full statement:
“For about 15 days I have been a victim of extortion by lawyer Adriane Magalhães, who is using a former employee of my professional office to make illicit profit and boost her candidacy for the seat of Appellate Judge reserved for OAB-AM, in the Amazonas Court of Justice, in the near future.
The colleague lawyer is acting with professional disloyalty by fabricating a scandal, regarding which I and people close to me had already been receiving threats if I did not pay R$500,000.00 (half a million reais) to silence an alleged victim of harassment.
I did not give in to the extortion and I will not yield to the blackmailer. I decided to face the lawyer who is using a noble cause – the defence of women – to gain professional and financial success.
I chose to bring the case to the attention of the Civil Police, which has opened an investigation to look into the crime of extortion of which my wife and I are victims.
To support the investigation, I handed the police a copy of recordings duly examined and turned into notarial records, featuring the voice of lawyer Adriane Magalhães, in which she pressures for a financial settlement (which our Penal Code defines as EXTORTION), to prevent the disclosure of facts that everyone will soon know to be false.
To my friends and fellow lawyers, I will prove that I am the victim of a colleague’s professional disloyalty, who, I repeat, seeks the position of appellate judge by trampling over another colleague’s honour.
I trust the Civil Police of my state. I trust the Justice of Amazonas. The truth will prevail.”