Jiu-jitsu coach and civil police investigator Melquizedec de Lima Galvão Ferreira, 47, known in the sport as Melqui Galvão, was arrested in Manaus, Amazonas, following allegations of assault involving a 17-year-old athlete. As the case unfolds in São Paulo courts, a troubling pattern has emerged, multiple girls claim they previously attempted to report Galvão, only to have those complaints go nowhere. Three girls are a part of the case already with many more volunteering information about their experiences with Galvão.
According to São Paulo Civil Police, the alleged incident that led to the arrest took place in February of this year in Rome, Italy, during a jiu-jitsu competition. The young woman had been training under Galvão since December 2024. What accelerated his arrest were messages Galvão himself sent to her family following the incident, in which he appeared to confess. There are reportedly both texts and audio. In the audio he can be heared saying:
“I am completely remorseful, totally distressed that I couldn’t sleep last night because of what I did. I think nothing justifies it. Nothing can justify my behavior. As a leader, as a guy who’s already of a certain age, I shouldn’t have behaved that way towards your daughter,”
Investigators now believe the Rome incident was not isolated. São Paulo Civil Police say they have identified and heard from other complainants whose accounts closely mirror the first report, including conduct dating back years. At least one girl reported being assaulted at the age of 12.
A central question surrounding those earlier reports is why they never moved forward. Female students who spoke to SBT reporters, though unwilling to appear on camera, said that Galvão‘s connections with police officers across multiple states blocked their complaints from progressing.
Those connections are not difficult to trace. Galvão holds a position as a civil police investigator in Amazonas while simultaneously operating two gyms in São Paulo and Jundiaí. He provided training for BOPE officers in Rio de Janeiro and appears in numerous social media photographs alongside high ranking members of the Amazonas Civil Police.
According to sources, Melqui Galvao was making as much as $6,000 a month in total from his government position and his gyms.
This isn’t Melqui’s first brush with the law. His tenure in the Brazilian Police force ended after he was suspected of ending the life of an unarmed man during a bust. Making matters worse, the operation was filmed. There is a suspicious cut in the footage after which a revolver appears next to the man’s body. News reports at the time indicated Galvao was imprisoned – however local media outlet caught up with him at a jiu-jitsu event that same month. Galvao was forced to move after the incident, and a prosecutor overseeing the bust was placed on a 3 months unpaid leave.
Among those currentl connected to Galvão is Guilherme Torres, deputy chief of police, the same officer who publicly advocated for jiu-jitsu as a means of protecting women from assault.
“It is our priority, it is the priority of the Civil Police, to defend against any cr ime or abuse against children and adolescents,”
Galvão also allegedly offered career incentives to the young woman’s family in exchange for their silence, including a black belt promotion and a business stake in a gym in Orlando, Florida.
The mother of one complainant described the ordeal directly.
“The feeling today is astonishing. We live in fear, both my husband and I. Unfortunately, we were naive to trust that person. He used the cruelest, most mental methods to coerce and manipulate us. “
She concluded with a plea for others to come forwar.
The Amazonas Civil Police confirmed Galvão has been suspended and that its internal affairs unit is investigating his activities outside the state. His defense team has not been located. His son, Mica Galvão stated he condemns any form of harassment and called for a serious investigation into the facts.
Despite the public statement trying to distance him from the sport, Mica’s wife purged her instagram of content featuring him and posted:
