Publicist Pedro Luiz Vergamini Dias, 26, was convicted in two cases of applying financial scams. In one case, the victim suffered a loss of R$ 45,000. On social media, he called himself a neighbor of the son of the “woman in the abandoned house” and gained visibility for it.
According to the Uol portal, Vergamini started a conversation with followers via private message on Instagram. Then he presented himself as a consultant in bookmakers, offered his services as a supposed bettor in tennis games and promised profit in a short period of time. In addition, he charged a commission of 10% of the total amount.
He advised the ‘customer’ to open an account on the site and asked for access to the login and password. Thus, it discovered personal information, such as RG, CPF and address. Afterwards, he would pay a symbolic amount to gain the person’s trust and request more money. Days later, Vergamini stated that he was betting and guaranteed that he would make the payment.
Some victims talked to Portal Uol. Among them, Clarice (fictitious name) was the one who lost the most money: around R$ 45 thousand. She knew the publicist and considered him a friend. Between February and March 2021, he made several deposits to Vergamini, with the promise of five times greater profits, but he received nothing and went to court.
“I felt coerced because he called me at dawn and said I had to deposit more money to get it all back. I entered the special check to get rid of it, I soiled my name, I harmed myself. I went to a psychiatrist because I thought I was going to go into depression”.
Marketing consultant Daniel Pandini was a childhood friend of Pedro Vergamini. It was searched by the publicist on Instagram. Initially, he questioned the offer, but he trusted Vergamini due to friendship. He transferred R$2,000 with the promise of receiving R$2,930 in less than a week. Vergamini began to delay payment and stopped contact.
The consultant also went to court. “I didn’t suspect it because he comes from a family with high purchasing power. He dodged the kick, only then did I realize that I had fallen into a scam”, he explained.
Court decisions
Pedro Vergamini was convicted in the first instance and could appeal, but missed the deadline. For Clarice, she has to pay BRL 44,647.21, with monetary correction and interest, in addition to compensation for moral damages of BRL 5,000.
Pandini should receive R$ 3,383.74 with monetary correction, interest and fees. Clarice’s defense demanded an increase in compensation to R$10,000. In Pandini’s process, the Justice defined the blocking of Vergamini’s accounts; in all, R$ 1,073.81 were blocked.
Vergamini did not present a defense in both cases and cannot appeal. Fulfillment of sentences may take longer because Justice will promote attempts to find assets in Vergamini’s name. There is a risk that he will not pay the victims.
Case investigation
The delegate of the 78th DP (Police District) responsible for the investigation, Denise Prado, said that the accused had not been found. The Civil Police subpoenaed Vergamini twice and he did not show up at the police station on either occasion. Officials argue that it is difficult to locate Vergamini’s address in São Paulo.
Currently, he would be residing in Santos. The penalty for the crime of embezzlement is 1 to 5 years in prison; and the misappropriation period is from 1 to 4 years. Portal Uol tried to contact Vergamini, but received no response.
Vergamini has expanded its reach on networks recently
The publicist supposedly lives between São Paulo, in an upper-class neighborhood, and Santos (SP). He gained more visibility on social networks after performing lives in which he presented news about the family of Margarida Bonetti, who had her story narrated in the podcast “A Mulher da Casa Abandonada”. Vergamini claimed to be the woman’s neighbor.
On social media, he presents a high standard of living, with photos of trips abroad, but he signed up to receive emergency aid and pocketed BRL 4,200 between April and December 2020, according to the Transparency Portal.
