A foundation chaired by Bolsonarista Paulo Figueiredo hired a company in the United States (USA) to lobby Donald Trump’s government. US$80,000, around R$400,000, have already been paid for the service. The action seeks to influence cooperation initiatives between the two countries in trade, investments, financing and public security policies, according to records presented to the US Congress.
Since last year, Figueiredo has been articulating, alongside former deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL/SP), an offensive to weaken the government of President Lula (PT), impose tariffs on Brazil and apply sanctions to ministers of the Federal Supreme Court (STF). The investigative core of the ICL News exclusively reveals documents that prove, for the first time, the formal hiring of a lobbying company, which was carried out through a foundation under the command of the Bolsonaro family ally.
The information gathered from public sources exposes the structure of an articulation that seeks to use external pressure to interfere in Brazilian politics, with implications for national sovereignty and the independence of institutions.
The America-Brazil Prosperity Advancement Foundation, Inc. was incorporated in the state of Delaware, a tax haven in the USA, on January 31, 2025. On October 22 of that year, the entity was registered in the SAM (System for Award Management), a system used by organizations seeking contracts or resources from the American government. Figueiredo appears in the register as president of the entity. One of the addresses on the record also coincides with the influencer’s property in Weston, Florida.
In the SAM registry, the foundation declares public relations activities, media representation, educational support, independent artists, writers and performers, granting of grants and donations, civic and social organization and advocacy of social causes. The categories follow the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS), similar to the National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAE), used in Brazil.
When contacted, Paulo Figueiredo informed in a note that the America-Brazil Prosperity Advancement Foundation “has no link of any kind, formal or informal, with any member of the Bolsonaro family, and that no politician, Brazilian or American, is part of, finances or directs the foundation”.
“It is a private, non-profit advocacy organization, incorporated under section 501(c)(4) of the United States Internal Revenue Code and operating strictly under American law. The activities of the foundation, as well as those of its members, are private in nature and are not subject to reporting to the press,” he added.
Lobbying company has an advisor linked to Bukele, Milei and Fernando Cerimedo
In May of this year, the America-Brazil Prosperity Advancement Foundation hired Checkmate Government Relations to lobby the Donald Trump government. The work reached four central bodies of the American administration: the State Department, responsible for foreign policy; the Treasury Department, which administers economic and financial sanctions instruments; the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for areas such as immigration and border protection; and the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), which conducts the country’s trade policy and international negotiations.
According to Paulo Figueiredo, the foundation’s work with the USTR “aimed at preventing the imposition of tariffs against Brazil”. “The effort, unfortunately, was unsuccessful, which is why the contract with Checkmate Government Relations was not renewed,” he highlighted. He did not explain the objectives of the lobby with the other three bodies of the American government.
Checkmate Government Relations’ advisor for Latin America is lobbyist Damian Merlo, who was a foreign policy advisor to the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, and played a central role in his rapprochement with the MAGA movement and the White House. In an interview with the Argentine newspaper Clarionin 2023, Merlo stated that his career has always been linked to the Republican Party in the United States and said he maintains ties with Donald Trump’s team.
The lobbyist also worked on the campaign of the president of Argentina, Javier Milei, alongside political consultant Fernando Cerimedo. Accused of trying to kill his ex-partner, Cerimedo became known for working for exponents of the ultra-right in Latin America. In 2022, he spread fake news about electronic voting machines in Brazil, helping to inflame the post-election climate, which resulted in the attacks on January 8, 2023. He was indicted by the Federal Police (PF) in the investigation into the coup plot.
Called “the MAGA man in Latin America” by the magazine The EconomistCerimedo is close to Eduardo Bolsonaro. In February, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro presented the Argentinean with the award for Best Hispanic Political Consultant of the Year, from Latino Wall Street, at a party in Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s resort. The two also participated, in July, in a live broadcast in which they once again attacked the Brazilian electoral system.
Lobby registration coincides with meeting between Flávio Bolsonaro and Donald Trump
Checkmate Government Relations filed the initial lobbying registration in the United States Congress system at 10:06 am on May 26, 2026, indicating May 15 as the start date of the contract with the America-Brazil Prosperity Advancement Foundation.
In the document, the company describes the foundation as a non-profit organization focused on cooperation between the two countries in investments, research and public security.
The registration was made on the same day as the meeting between Flávio Bolsonaro, Eduardo Bolsonaro and Paulo Figueiredo with Donald Trump at the White House. After the meeting, the senator declared that, if elected president, he would take Brazil to the Shield of the Americas, a regional initiative led by Trump, and stated that he had asked for the classification of Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho as terrorist organizations.
The measure was announced by the State Department two days later, on May 28, and took effect as a Foreign Terrorist Organization designation on June 5.
In Checkmate’s second quarter report, registered on July 17th in the US Congress, the company declared US$80,000 in revenue for lobbying work on behalf of the America-Brazil Prosperity Advancement Foundation. The documents identify Charles McDowell, Nelson Freeman and Muhammad Rahim as lobbyists who represented the foundation.
Beneficiaries of US funding for actions against the STF remain confidential
Four months after Paulo’s entity hired the lobbying company, the United States government allocated resources to actions against what the Trump administration classifies as judicial excess and censorship in Brazil. According to the British newspaper The Guardianthe State Department allocated US$1 million to a project aimed at groups that challenge the actions of the STF.
Documents obtained by UOL detail the “Countering Lawfare and Censorship in Brazil” program, with resources released on September 30, 2026 – five days before the first round of presidential elections in Brazil. The identity of the beneficiaries is kept confidential, even from members of the US Congress, according to the publication.
Figueiredo’s foundation is included in the SAM, a register required, as a rule, of organizations competing for federal funding in the USA. Registration is an administrative step and does not prove that the entity has requested or received this funding. To date, no document has been identified that links her to the program.
Information contained in the documents revealed by the Uol describe the American fund as a tool to “support civil society to combat excessive judicial activism and censorship in Brazil”. Also according to the portal, the document mentions by name Eduardo Bolsonaro’s actions in the USA against STF minister Alexandre de Moraes.
Eduardo Bolsonaro’s articulation in the USA led to his conviction to four years and two months in prison for coercion during the process. According to the STF, he sought American tariffs and sanctions to try to prevent the conviction of Jair Bolsonaro in the coup plot. On October 8, Alexandre de Moraes ordered the issuance of an arrest warrant and the cancellation of the former deputy’s Brazilian passport, but he can continue traveling with his Italian passport.
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
