Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Thursday ordered the issuance of an arrest warrant against former federal deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro, who is in the United States, after his conviction for coercion became final and no longer subject to appeal.
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court ordered the arrest of former federal deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro on Thursday, a decision that deepens the legal crisis surrounding the family of jailed ex-president Jair Bolsonaro just weeks before a presidential runoff.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued the warrant after the former lawmaker’s four-year and two-month prison sentence for coercion acquired res judicata status. Eduardo Bolsonaro has lived in United States since 2025 and did not return to Brazil for the final stages of the proceedings.
RELATED: Brazilian Supreme Court Sentences Eduardo Bolsonaro for Instigating U.S. Sanctions
De Moraes said that, following the rejection of the last appeals, the trial against Bolsonaro acquired the status of res judicata, making the sentence firm and unappealable.
The Brazilian justice also ordered that the former Deputy’s name be added to the list of convicts with prison orders pending enforcement, and that all passports issued in his name be canceled.
🇧🇷 BREAKING: Justice Moraes has ordered the arrest of Eduardo @BolsonaroSP, who was sentenced to 4+ years in prison for pressuring U.S. officials to punish Brazil during his father @JairBolsonaro’s coup case.
Eduardo is currently in the U.S., and the court also canceled his… pic.twitter.com/skajJoY5d7
— NewsForce (@Newsforce) October 8, 2026
Coercion Conviction Explained
Eduardo Bolsonaro was sentenced to four years and two months in prison for coercion in the course of proceedings, a case linked to the tariffs the Donald Trump’s administration imposed on Brazilian exports. In June, the court’s panel agreed with the accusation brought by the Attorney General’s Office and found there was evidence that the former deputy lobbied for the U.S. tariffs in an attempt to prevent the conviction of his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was found guilty of attempting a coup d’état against Lula in 2022.
According to the ruling, other measures, such as the revocation of visas for Supreme Court justices and members of the federal government and the application of economic sanctions under the Magnitsky Act, pursued the same goal.
Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected the defense’s final appeal and upheld the sentence, to be served initially under a semi-open regime. Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2023) was sentenced to 27 years in prison in the coup trial. Eduardo Bolsonaro was also barred from holding public office for 12 years, which will keep him from running until 2038. In September, the Supreme Court separately sentenced him to one year in prison in a defamation trial brought by lawmaker Tabata Amaral.
O candidato à Presidência da República Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) criticou, nesta quinta-feira (8/10), a decisão do ministro do Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF) Alexandre de Moraes de determinar que Eduardo Bolsonaro comece a cumprir pena.
Segundo Flávio, a resposta veio nas urnas, já… pic.twitter.com/Qrwqp8glxL
— Correio Braziliense (@correio) October 8, 2026
Text reads: “Presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) criticized on Thursday the decision of the Minister of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) Alexandre de Moraes to determine that Eduardo Bolsonaro begins to serve time. According to Flavio, the answer came at the polls, as 50 senators already say they favor impeachment of ministers of the Supreme Court (…) Eduardo Bolsonaro was sentenced to four years and two months in prison for coercion in the course of the trial.”
Campaign Role
Eduardo Bolsonaro has been in United States since 2025 and lost his seat in Congress for missing sessions of the Chamber of Deputies. In September, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security dismissed him from his post as a Federal Police secretary for abandonment of duty, according to the Official Gazette edition of September 21. The decision followed an administrative disciplinary proceeding that found unjustified absences of more than 30 consecutive days, and was based on Law 15,047 of 2024, which sets penalties for abandonment of office.
Despite his legal situation, he continues to take an active part in the presidential campaign of his older brother, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. The far-right candidate will face President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is seeking re-election, in a runoff on October 25. Eduardo has hinted that, if Flávio wins the presidency, he expects to be named Foreign Minister.
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