He accessed confidential files over 100 times without legitimate reason
Em Washington, um jovem advogado brasileiro descobriu — ao custo de sua liberdade — que o acesso ao poder raramente é o mesmo que o direito de usá-lo. Romero Cabral da Costa Neto, de 33 anos, foi preso pelo FBI após ser indiciado por usar informações confidenciais de clientes para lucrar mais de US$ 52 mil em três operações na bolsa, enquanto estagiava em um dos escritórios de advocacia mais renomados dos Estados Unidos. O caso convida a uma reflexão sobre a fragilidade da confiança institucional quando o privilégio profissional encontra a tentação pessoal.
- Um advogado brasileiro em estágio internacional acessou arquivos confidenciais mais de 100 vezes sem autorização, negociando ações de biotecnologia, farmacêuticas e petróleo com base em informações privilegiadas.
- Em apenas três operações entre maio e junho, Costa Neto transformou acesso restrito em US$ 52 mil de lucro ilegal — um valor modesto pelo padrão do crime de colarinho branco, mas suficiente para acionar a máquina federal.
- O FBI e a SEC abriram investigação conjunta, um grande júri federal emitiu indiciamento por fraude em valores mobiliários, e o advogado foi preso na terça-feira em Washington.
- O escritório brasileiro Mattos Filho, que o havia cedido ao cargo americano, encerrou seu vínculo empregatício imediatamente após a prisão.
- Costa Neto enfrenta pena máxima de 20 anos de prisão nos Estados Unidos, além de penalidades civis e financeiras, enquanto o caso levanta perguntas sobre o monitoramento de estagiários internacionais em grandes firmas americanas.
Um advogado brasileiro de 33 anos foi preso pelo FBI em Washington esta semana, acusado de usar informações confidenciais de clientes para realizar três operações de insider trading que renderam mais de US$ 52 mil em lucros ilegais. Romero Cabral da Costa Neto, do Rio de Janeiro, estava em estágio internacional no escritório Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher desde setembro de 2022, com visto de trabalho de um ano. Antes disso, era licenciado pelo Mattos Filho, um dos maiores escritórios de advocacia do Brasil, que declarou tê-lo desligado após a prisão.
A primeira operação ocorreu em maio: Costa Neto comprou US$ 50 mil em ações de uma empresa de biotecnologia de Seattle e as vendeu no dia seguinte por US$ 92,6 mil — lucro de mais de US$ 42 mil. Antes da compra, havia acessado arquivos confidenciais sobre uma aquisição pendente da empresa por uma farmacêutica sueca mais de 100 vezes, sem qualquer autorização ou vínculo com o caso. Em junho, repetiu o padrão em duas outras operações — uma envolvendo notícias positivas sobre um tratamento contra o câncer, outra ligada à fusão que criou uma empresa de serviços de petróleo avaliada em US$ 5,4 bilhões — acumulando cerca de US$ 9,5 mil adicionais.
O caso é investigado conjuntamente pelo escritório do FBI em Washington e pelo escritório regional da SEC na Filadélfia. As acusações de insider trading nos Estados Unidos preveem pena máxima de 20 anos de prisão, além de sanções civis. Além da trajetória individual de Costa Neto, o episódio expõe uma questão estrutural: quais salvaguardas existem para controlar o acesso de estagiários internacionais a materiais sigilosos em grandes escritórios americanos?
A 33-year-old Brazilian lawyer working at one of Washington's most prestigious law firms was arrested this week on charges of insider trading, accused of using confidential client information to execute three separate stock trades that netted him more than $52,000 in illegal profits. Romero Cabral da Costa Neto, from Rio de Janeiro, was taken into custody by the FBI on Tuesday after a federal grand jury indicted him on securities fraud charges. He had been on an international internship at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher since September 2022, holding a one-year work visa.
Costa Neto was licensed through Mattos Filho, a major Brazilian law firm, before taking the American position. His home firm released a statement saying he had been on leave since joining the Washington office and had no active role in Brazil. Following his arrest, the firm terminated his employment pending the outcome of the American legal proceedings. Federal prosecutors have not disclosed the names of the companies involved in the trades, but the pattern they describe suggests systematic exploitation of his access to sensitive corporate information.
The first transaction occurred in May. Costa Neto purchased $50,000 worth of stock in a Seattle-based biotechnology company on May 9th, then sold those shares the following day for $92,600—a gain of more than $42,000. Before making this trade, he had accessed confidential files from his firm's office more than 100 times. Those documents pertained to a pending acquisition of the biotech company by a Swedish biopharmaceutical firm. Prosecutors noted that Costa Neto had no legitimate work reason to view these files and was not assigned to the transaction.
A second scheme unfolded in early June. On June 2nd, Costa Neto bought shares in another company represented by his firm. The next day, that company released positive news about a cancer treatment. Three days later, he sold his shares—one day before the company announced a secondary stock offering, a move that typically depresses share price. He profited roughly $1,000 from this trade. Again, he had no authorization to access documents related to this client.
The third and largest transaction involved 7,000 shares purchased between June 8th and 12th. The company announced a merger shortly after, creating a petroleum services firm valued at $5.4 billion. Costa Neto made approximately $8,500 on this trade. Combined, the three transactions generated $52,000 in illegal gains—a modest sum by white-collar crime standards, but enough to trigger federal prosecution.
The case is being investigated jointly by the FBI's Washington field office and the Securities and Exchange Commission's Philadelphia regional office. Insider trading convictions carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years in the United States, along with potential civil and financial penalties. The charges suggest that Costa Neto exploited the trust placed in him as a junior attorney to access information that was explicitly restricted, then acted on that information with calculated timing. The case raises questions about how international interns at major American firms are monitored and what safeguards exist to prevent access to confidential client materials.
Citas Notables
Costa was not working with that transaction and had no legitimate reason to access and view those files— U.S. Department of Justice statement
The professional has been terminated from the firm pending conclusion of the case in American courts— Mattos Filho law firm statement
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why would a young lawyer with a promising career risk everything for $52,000?
That's the question that doesn't have a clean answer. It's not a fortune—it's less than a year's salary for someone in his position. Maybe he thought the trades were small enough to go unnoticed, or maybe he believed he could rationalize accessing the files as part of his work.
How did he get caught?
The timing was too perfect. Three trades, three major corporate announcements or mergers within days. The SEC and FBI look for patterns like that. When you trade on information that becomes public within 24 to 72 hours, it raises flags.
What does it say about the firm that he had access to all this information?
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is a top-tier firm. They have security protocols. But an intern needs access to files to do his job. The question is whether anyone was monitoring what he actually accessed and whether his access to files on deals he wasn't working on triggered any alerts.
Will his Brazilian law license survive this?
Almost certainly not. His home firm already cut him loose. Even if he avoids prison time, a securities fraud conviction ends a legal career in the United States and most other countries. Brazil may take its own disciplinary action.
What happens to him now?
He faces up to 20 years in federal prison. There will be negotiations—his lawyers will likely seek a plea deal. But the evidence seems straightforward: the access logs, the trades, the timing. This isn't a case where the facts are in dispute.