According to press reports, the Brazilian authorities revealed the involvement of a former Manchester United player with a criminal group and money laundering operations.
And the British newspaper “Daily Mail” quoted local reports in Brazil that Anderson, the former Manchester United player, is among a group of 8 people being investigated by the Public Prosecutor in a scheme designed to transfer 35 million Brazilian riyals (about $ 6.4 million) and money laundering. using cryptocurrency.
The sources stated that the individuals under investigation are accused of committing crimes including theft, belonging to a criminal organization and money laundering.
The investigation goes back more than a year, when the Public Prosecutor issued 13 search and seizure orders in the Porto Alegre region.
Anderson's apartment was one of the buildings that was searched.
The investigation found that those involved embezzled money from a bank account of a large company through 11 electronic transfers to 6 companies in 4 Brazilian states, and then money was laundered inside and outside Brazil through cryptocurrencies.
Anderson defended himself and dismissed the charges. He said he has been investing in cryptocurrencies since 2019, asserting that his company sold bitcoins to a company, and stressed that he did not know that the company's money came from illegal sources.
Anderson's lawyer, Julio Cesar Coutinho Jr., said the former player "will prove that he was a victim rather than a participant".
Anderson, 33, began his career with Brazilian club Gremio in 2006 before moving to Porto two years later and then to United.
Anderson spent 7 years with United and scored a goal in the penalty shootout win over Chelsea in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final.
After leaving United in 2015, he returned to his home city to join Internacional, the fierce Gremio, and retired from football in 2020 after spending two years with Turkish club Adana Demirspor.