The son of jailed former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been found guilty by the country’s Supreme Court of attempting to lobby U.S. authorities to intervene in his father’s coup trial last year. Eduardo Bolsonaro, 41, was charged with urging Washington to impose tariffs or sanctions on Brazil in support of his father, who ruled from 2019 to 2022 and was later convicted of plotting a military coup.
Eduardo, a former congressman, relocated to the U.S. in 2025. His father was sentenced to 27 years in prison after a conviction in a trial that prosecutors said aimed to thwart his 2022 election defeat. In a social‑media post, Eduardo called the conviction “baseless and senseless” and accused the judiciary of trying to block his potential political ambitions.
He noted that the case lacked due process: he was never formally served and learned of the proceedings from media reports. The Supreme Court sentenced him in absentia to four years and two months in prison.
Eduardo’s public lobbying for U.S. support included praise from former President Donald Trump, who labeled the case a “witch hunt.” Trump’s administration imposed a 50% tariff on Brazil in July, a move Lula da Silva criticized as “misguided” and “ill‑logical.” The Trump administration later sanctioned Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes for alleged abuse in Bolsonaro‑related cases.
Lula said Brazil was willing to negotiate trade with the U.S. but called sanctions on judicial officials an unacceptable interference in domestic justice. The U.S. has since withdrawn the tariffs. The episode underscores the volatile relationship between Brazil’s judiciary, its former leadership, and shifting U.S. foreign‑policy stances.
