Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has issued an arrest warrant for Eduardo Bolsonaro and ordered the immediate start of his prison sentence, Anadolu Agency reports.
Eduardo, a former federal lawmaker and son of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, was convicted of lobbying the Trump administration for sanctions on Brazilian officials and higher tariffs on Brazilian exports. UPI notes the order lands less than three weeks before the Oct. 25 presidential runoff, in which his brother, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, faces President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The sentence is four years and two months, to begin in a semi-open regime. The Supreme Court’s First Panel convicted him unanimously in June of coercion in judicial proceedings, and the conviction became final on Oct. 3 after his appeals were rejected, according to the court. Moraes also cancelled his Brazilian passports and ordered the electoral court notified that his political rights are suspended while the conviction stands.
According to UPI’s report on the June verdict, Moraes found that Eduardo moved to the United States in early 2025 to push for sanctions against Brazilian justices and to pressure the judiciary over the case against his father. Prosecutors relied on his social media posts, public statements and messages recovered from Jair Bolsonaro’s phone. Jair was sentenced last year to 27 years in prison for his role in an alleged plot to overturn the 2022 election, which Lula won.
Eduardo did not hire a lawyer, so the Federal Public Defender’s Office represented him. His defense argued that his activity in Washington was legitimate political action and that he was never properly notified of the case. The justices rejected both points, noting that his registered address was in Brazil and that the court served him by public notice after failing to locate him, UPI reported. The same report says he was fined about 150,000 reais, roughly $30,000, and would be barred from running for office for at least eight years.
Eduardo answered the order with a press statement on X, in which, UPI says, he also claims he was never formally notified and did not know the charges against him.
PRESS STATEMENT
Even after the clear message of “enough is enough” delivered at the ballot box, Alexandre de Moraes is once again throwing the country into turmoil with an arbitrary, ill-timed, and futile ruling, given that the United States has already made it clear that it will not comply with such delusional decisions.
The only practical effect of this measure, deliberately taken in the midst of the electoral process, is to further inflame tensions across the country, entirely unnecessarily.
Fortunately, on October 25, the Brazilian people will deliver their final verdict by electing Flávio Bolsonaro, who, together with the new Congress, will restore normalcy to Brazil.
Eduardo Bolsonaro
— Eduardo Bolsonaro🇧🇷 (@BolsonaroSP) October 8, 2026
Eduardo called the order “arbitrary, ill-timed and futile” and said the United States has already made clear it will not comply. He accused Moraes of needlessly inflaming tensions in the middle of an election campaign and said Brazilian voters would give their verdict on Oct. 25 by electing his brother, who he said would restore normality with the new Congress.
🚨 MORAES JUST ISSUED AN ARREST WARRANT AGAINST ME
This comes after Moraes allegedly attempted to negotiate a deal with a member of our party (PL) to avoid impeachment, following the right’s victory in securing a majority in the Senate
Only @FlavioBolsonaro’s election can save Brazil from this dictatorship
On October 25, vote 2️⃣2️⃣
— Eduardo Bolsonaro🇧🇷 (@BolsonaroSP) October 8, 2026
Eduardo lives in Texas and has been in the United States since 2025, so Brazil would need to secure his return before the sentence can be carried out. Anadolu says no extradition request has been reported, and UPI says it is unclear whether Brazilian authorities will seek one before the runoff. The Rio Times, which says it was produced by its automated newsroom system, reports that he received a U.S. green card in July.
The runoff follows a tight first round on Oct. 4, in which Flávio Bolsonaro took 47.03 percent of valid votes to Lula’s 45.16 percent, according to Brazil’s electoral court figures cited by UPI. Neither candidate cleared the majority needed to win outright, and the Liberal Party, which the Bolsonaro family belongs to, won 121 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 28 in the Senate, per Agência Brasil.