When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Ponte Jornalismo
Ponte Jornalismo is a non-profit organization created to broaden the debate on human rights through journalism. It aims to increase the reach of voices marginalized by class, race and gender oppression.
Man smoking a cigar
Society
Jessica Santos

Meet Thiago Brennand, Brazil's Answer To Andrew Tate

Here's the Brazilian media spectacle of brazen masculinity, white privilege — and, finally, an arrest.

SÂO PAULO — Behold Thiago Brennand: Brazil's own rich white guy boasting an arsenal of 67 guns, accused of attacking a woman in public — and he's now become a very public spectacle. For a foreign reader it can recall the saga of Andrew Tate

First, Brennand's story in brief. The Brazilian businessman made headlines in 2022 when a video surfaced that showed him assaulting a model, Helena Gomes, inside a São Paulo gym.

After Gomes filed a complaint, at least 11 other women came forward to the São Paulo Public Prosecutor's Office to report that they had been assaulted by Brennand. In September, Brazilian police issued a warrant for his arrest – but the businessman fled to the United Arab Emirates, where he was briefly detained before posting bail and being released the following day.

In March, Brazil issued a new arrest warrant for Brennand. He spent eight months living in the UAE before the country approved Brazil’s extradition request. He was flown back on April 29 to São Paulo, where he was jailed and will be tried for rape – the first of several charges he faces.

Prior to the 2022 incident, Brennand was also investigated in 2020 for assaulting his son, but the case was closed after his son retracted the accusation. Brennand has been involved in other aggression incidents as well, including at equestrian clubs.

Watch VideoShow less