Márcio Mendes Rocha

Background:

• Businessman from the Porto region of Portugal.
• Lived with his husband, Hélder Filipe Carneiro Dias.
• Wanted to become a parent and initially explored adoption and surrogacy options in Brazil.

Alleged Actions:

• Obtained custody of two babies (Magda and Evandro) born in Brazil.
• Was suspected of using informal and illegal arrangements with vulnerable pregnant women.
• Worked closely with Márcia de Godoy Honorio, who allegedly found pregnant women through social media.
• Took baby Magda from Brazil to Portugal shortly after obtaining custody.

Investigation:

• Came under suspicion when hospital staff at Santa Casa de Valinhos noticed unusual circumstances surrounding two births.
• Arrested on 4 December 2023 on suspicion of international human trafficking for illegal adoption.
• Investigators found evidence suggesting he was not the biological father of the children despite being registered as their father.

Legal Outcome:

• Convicted by a Brazilian court in July 2024 for human trafficking for the purpose of illegal adoption.
• Sentenced to five years in prison.
• Appealed the conviction.
• His defense argued that he believed he was engaging in an informal adoption practice rather than trafficking.