The United States on Monday sanctioned the wife of Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, marking a further escalation in the diplomatic clash between Washington and Brasília over the prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
The US Treasury Department said Viviane Barci de Moraes was added to its sanctions list under the Global Magnitsky Act, which allows Washington to target foreign nationals accused of corruption or human rights violations.
The move broadens earlier sanctions imposed on Justice de Moraes himself and extends to Lex Instituto de Estudos Jurídicos, a financial entity controlled by Barci de Moraes and relatives.
Treasury officials said they believe the entity may have been used in attempts to bypass restrictions.
Bolsonaro’s conviction is at the centre of tensions
The sanctions come after Bolsonaro was convicted earlier this month of trying a coup to stay in power after losing the 2022 election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The former president was condemned to 27 years in prison in a verdict presided over by Moraes.
Bolsonaro’s legal team has vowed to appeal, though many legal experts believe the prospects of overturning the conviction are slim.
De Moraes has emerged as one of Brazil’s most influential judges, supervising a number of lawsuits against Bolsonaro and his allies.
His role has made him a target of conservatives in Brazil and the United States.
Washington’s pressure campaign
Sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Act in July, Justice de Moraes was among the few senior judges of a democratic ally to face direct action from Washington.
The latest measures against his family aim “to enhance the effectiveness” of the July sanctions, a senior US administration official said.
The Trump administration’s response to Bolsonaro’s legal proceedings has unfolded through a series of escalating steps.
Earlier this year, it revoked US visas for de Moraes and other justices and imposed a 50% tariff on most Brazilian exports, disrupting bilateral trade.
The approach underscores Trump’s reliance on financial and trade measures to achieve political objectives.
Previous administrations have typically reserved Magnitsky sanctions for individuals linked to severe abuses, including war crimes or extrajudicial killings.
Moraes defies US pressure
Despite mounting international criticism, de Moraes has emphasised that Brazil’s judiciary will not succumb to external pressure.
In August, after Washington imposed sanctions on him, he upheld the notion of independence.
“Respect stems from independence. A subservient, cowardly judiciary, one that makes deals simply to calm the country, is not independent,” he stated at the time.
The dispute has been inflamed by Trump’s personal relationship with Bolsonaro, whom he has repeatedly referred to as a political ally.
Both men faced criminal charges for attempting to cling to power following electoral defeats, and Trump has denounced Bolsonaro’s prosecution as a “witch-hunt.”
The sanctions against Barci de Moraes are the latest hint that the United States is willing to put further pressure on Brazil’s court to defend Bolsonaro and his followers.
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