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The US has announced new sanctions targeting the wife of a top Brazilian official along with a family-run financial entity over the prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, Bolsonaro has been convicted of leading a coordinated attempt to overturn the results of Brazil’s 2022 presidential election, which he lost to left-wing candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Prosecutors accused him of orchestrating a criminal conspiracy involving top aides and military officials to delegitimize the electoral process and cling to power unlawfully. Central to his conviction are claims that Bolsonaro incited unrest, spread “misinformation” about the integrity of Brazil’s voting system, and supported efforts to disrupt the democratic transition. Bolsonaro, for his part, denies all wrongdoing, insisting the case is politically motivated and aimed at blocking his return to power in 2026. He claims to be the victim of persecution by the judiciary working with Lula’sadministration, a position the Trump administration says is true.

What’s going on now: The US Treasury rolled out new sanctions targeting Viviane Barci de Moraes, the wife of Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, along with a family-controlled financial entity believed to be involved in circumventing existing penalties. The sanctioned entity, Lex Instituto de Estudos Juridicos, is led by Barci de Moraes and other family members, and according to US officials, may serve as a way to evade previous sanctions placed on Justice de Moraes in July. These latest measures freeze any assets the individuals or entity may hold in the US and bar US persons from conducting any financial transactions with them.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent justified the sanctions by directly accusing de Moraes of human rights abuses and the suppression of political dissent. “Alexandre de Moraes is responsible for an oppressive campaign of censorship, arbitrary detentions, and politicized prosecutions—including against former President Jair Bolsonaro,” Bessent said. He added, “Today’s action makes clear that Treasury will continue to target individuals who provide material support to de Moraes as he abuses human rights.”

Brazil was pissed about the announcement, framing the sanctions as a hostile and unjustified act. The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the US of “the politicization and distortion” of the Magnitsky Act and denounced the measures as “a new attempt of undue interference in Brazilian internal affairs.”

These new penalties follow a series of recent moves by the Trump administration aimed at Brazil’s judiciary and government institutions. In July, the US sanctioned Alexandre de Moraes personally, revoked US visas for multiple justices involved in Bolsonaro’s conviction, and imposed a 50% tariff on most Brazilian goods. The administration claims these actions are necessary to push back against what it calls a “broad censorship regime” and politically motivated legal actions targeting Bolsonaro and his supporters.