A popular Brazilian YouTuber and Instagrammer known as ‘RaulZito’ aka Raulino de Oliveira Maciel, was arrested on July 27 for two counts of statutory rape. Barely a month later, three more allegations have surfaced against him, demanding further investigations into his crimes.
According to Daily Star, the fresh probes add seven child victims to his possible charges, bringing the total count to nine. If found guilty, the "Fortnite" streamer could face imprisonment for up to 15 years.
The police believe that the rapes were carried out in the city of Niteroi near Rio de Janeiro, southern Brazil, while his potential crimes are likely to have taken place in Sao Paulo, Paraiba, and Santa Catarina.
Credible reports highlight that that survivors of his abuse stayed silent for decades, and it wasn’t until therapy that they mustered the courage to speak up. The mother of one of the victims alleged that Maciel’s wife often warned her and other parents against leaving their kids alone with him.
This is yet to be proven by any kind of evidence, as Maciel’s wife reportedly appeared to support her husband at the time of the police probe. While speaking to cops, she stuck by her stance that she did not feel anything was amiss about him, despite his unusual appearance—pink beard and blue hair— at the time of the arrest. She is yet to be questioned.
But, the mother who made the allegations believes that it was certain that she was aware of his crimes. The cops averred that Maciel was a smooth operator, who often built a rapport with his victims' parents before he went about abusing them at his studio or their parents’ homes. He is known for producing video content featuring young actors.
It is believed that the popular gamer used his influence in the industry to lure kids with an aptitude for gaming, only to subject them to varying degrees of sexual abuse, after having gained the trust of their parents.
As the case gets murkier, cops are likely to conduct a deeper probe into his whereabouts in the United States—where he once resided—to investigate whether similar crimes were carried out.
A 28-year-old technical support assistant Lucas Martinelli Caetano claimed to be victimized by Raulzito, when he was 12. Maciel has a strong Instagram fan base of over 200,000.
