Man Suspected of Leading INSS Fraud Scheme Surrenders to Police
Listen to the story
A man named Carlos Lopes gave himself up to the police in Brazil.
He is the president of a group called Conafer.
Police say he led a plan to take money from old people's pensions.
The pensions come from INSS. INSS is the government's pension system for old and sick people.
Police say some people took money from pensions without permission. This is called an unauthorized deduction.
Carlos Lopes was a fugitive. This means he was hiding from the police.
Now, the Federal Police have him. The Federal Police work for the whole country.
His arrest can help the police learn about other people in the plan.
Some people think the plan connects to a political group called Centrão.
Centrão is a group of politicians in Brazil's Congress.
Police hope Lopes will now give them information about the whole scheme.
This is called a plea deal, when a suspect helps police in exchange for a lighter punishment.
Many old people were affected by the money problem.
The police are still investigating the case.
Vocabulary15 words
- president
- the top leader of a group or organization
- pension
- money the government pays to old people every month
- unauthorized deduction
- taking money without permission
- fugitive
- a person hiding from the police
- Federal Police
- the national police force in Brazil
- arrest
- when police catch and hold a person
- Centrão
- a big group of politicians in Brazil
- Congress
- the group that makes laws for a country
- plea deal
- when a suspect helps police for a lighter punishment
- scheme
- a secret plan, often to do something wrong
- investigate
- to look for facts about a crime
- suspect
- a person police think did a crime
- association
- a group of people who work together
- affected
- when something changes or hurts a person
- case
- a problem that police or courts look at
Quiz
Answer key
1. Carlos Lopes 2. Conafer 3. True
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
A man named Carlos Lopes gave himself up to the _____ in Brazil.
He is the president of a group called _____.
Police say he led a plan to take money from old people's _____.
The pensions come from _____. INSS is the government's pension system.
Police say some people took money from pensions without _____.
Carlos Lopes was a _____. This means he was hiding from the police.
Now, the Federal Police have him. The Federal Police work for the whole _____.
His _____ can help the police learn about other people in the plan.
Some people think the plan connects to a political group called _____.
Police hope Lopes will now give them information through a plea _____.