Police raid Bolsonaro's home, arrest aides in fake vaccine records probe

May 3 (UPI) -- Brazilian federal police Wednesday searched former President Jair Bolsonaro's mansion and arrested close aides in an alleged criminal effort to fake COVID-19 vaccination records to travel to the United States.

Brazilian Federal Police said in a statement that sixteen search and seizure warrants and six preventive arrest warrants were served in Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro.

"This Wednesday the Federal Police launched Operation Venire to clarify the actions of a criminal association formed to commit the crimes of inserting false vaccination data against Covid-19 into the SI-PNI and RNDS systems of the Ministry of Health," police said.

Lt. Col. Mauro Cid Barbosa was one of six people arrested as police searched several addresses in Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro. Max Guilherme Machado de Moura, a former special forces police operative, and two Bolsonaro security guards were also arrested.

Brazilian police said people were able to use the false database insertions to get vaccination certificates to circumvent health restrictions imposed by public authorities in Brazil and in the United States between November 2021 and December 2022.

The false data to change the vaccine status of several people was allegedly done to get vaccination certificates required for U.S. entry.

Brazil's Office of Comptroller General found a vaccine card for Bolsonaro in February but warned the data may have been changed.

Bolsonaro had publicly proclaimed he would not get the COVID-19 vaccine. He traveled to the United States at the end of December and stayed until March.

Speaking to reporters outside his mansion, Bolsonaro said he was surprised by the police search and denied he falsified any vaccine records.

"I wasn't vaccinated. Full stop," Bolsonaro said. "I have nothing else to say."

Bolsonaro and his administration have faced several investigations, including one approved by Brazil's Supreme Court into allegations he tried to interfere with federal police.

Brazil's former Bolsonaro Justice Minister Anderson Torres was arrested in January in an investigation into riots.

In 2021 election officials said they were investigating Bolsonaro for threatening Brazilian democracy by making false electoral fraud claims.