Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coach Melqui Galvao is facing legal trouble. According to BJJDOC, he was taken into temporary custody (for 30 days) in Manaus, Sao Paolo, on Tuesday, on suspicion of having committed s*xual misconduct against three female students, including a 17-year-old girl.
The outlet reviewed the warrant (dated April 23) against Galvao issued by the Court of Justice of the State of Sao Paolo, which referenced three counts under Brazil’s Law 8.069/90 and Law 13.441/2017 – both related to the Child and Adolescent Statute.
Latest reports suggest that the National Council of Justice directed Sao Paolo authorities to produce Melqui Galvao before a judge. Meanwhile, the Civil Police of Jundiai are said to be leading the investigation.
In the wake of his arrest, the Jiu-Jitsu coach reportedly expressed an apology in a now-viral 12-minute audio clip first shared by xfight.tv. A 30-second excerpt was quoted by BJJDOC:
“I understand, completely understood. I just want to make some things clear. I’m totally repressed, totally distressed. Nothing can justify my behaviour, but I would also like to say that I never planned this,” Melqui allegedly stated.
The 47-year-old continued:
“From the first day you came in until the last day you left, I never planned this. I never had these thoughts. (Redacted) is not guilty of anything. She is very young… She treated me in a way that no student had treated me. This led me to believe that there was something.”
The rest of the audio focuses on promises to change his behavior, a plea to reach a mutual agreement, and sensitive details surrounding the allegations.
Melqui Galvao: Life, career, and more
Melqui Galvao is not only a black belt (in 2014) in Jiu-Jitsu but also a civil police investigator from Amazonas who trained the young generation of law enforcement officers in therapy and self-defense. He has been famous for running the Escola Melqui Galvao Manaus coaching academy in the northern part of Sao Paolo since 2018.
His children, Mica and Sammi, are Jiu-Jitsu champions, as are his other students, including Fabricio Andrey, Thalison Soares, Diogo Reis, and Brenda Larissa. Until his arrest, Melqui was a member of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) and Confederação Brasileira de Jiu-Jitsu (CBJJ).
However, in the wake of the controversy, both organizations permanently banned him, citing that Galvao was in direct violation of their code of conduct.
Ahead of the 2022 Brasileiros, aka the Brazil Nationals, Melqui Galvao spoke with IBJJF:
“It’s great to see my team competing for the first time at black belt. They all started with me when they were still children and many times they participated in Brasileiros, but this will be the first one competing in the black belt divisions, so it will be very important for me.”
Galvao continued:
“It is the realization of a dream of many years. Competing in Brazil is like participating in a football match. I believe that in the United States, the structure is better and the championships are more beautiful. But in Brazil, the energy is different than in the United States, especially at the Brasileiros.”
According to AM Post, Melqui Galvao turned himself in after an arrest warrant was issued in his name. Meanwhile, authorities executed three search and seizure warrants in his Jundiai properties.
Galvao reportedly tried to intimidate a female teenage student and sent an audio recording in an attempt to prevent her from going to the cops. Not only that, but he allegedly made financial compensation to silence the victim, including offering to invest in a Jiu-Jitsu academy in Orlando, Florida, USA, where the girl is now reportedly staying.
However, her father handed the audio over to the authorities, which will now be used as a key piece of evidence.
A portion of the 13-minute recording goes as follows:
“I’m totally sorry. I couldn’t sleep well last night. Because of what I did, I don’t think anything can justify my behavior. As a leader, as a guy, with a certain age, I couldn’t have done this behavior with your daughter.”
Melqui Galvao continued:
“Today, let me denounce you… As much as maybe there are no proofs to incriminate me, put me behind bars, it will make my name bad. As my name is next to the brand, the whole brand will fall. And a lot of people will lose opportunities with that.”
In the same audio, Galvao admitted to touching the girl’s belly while she was asleep, kissing her face, and hugging her, saying he “regrets” his action. However, he denied giving her sleeping pills or doing anything “untoward.”
“I never tried to touch her… I never did anything… I’ve never had a s*xual relationship with her or anything like that. Forcing is not my type… It’s not my type. I don’t do that,” Galvao claimed.
He added:
“It’s not her fault. Even if this feeling existed, I had the obligation to repent her. As a teacher, as a major, as a guy of a certain age, I had the obligation to repent her. And to correct her. And not to try to change her.”
Amid Melqui Galvao’s pretrial detention, CBJJ and IBJJF have expressed “profound indignation” for the instructor, calling his actions “unacceptable” and in violation of the “most fundamental ethical principles of the sport.” Thus, Galvao will now be strictly prohibited from participating in any events or activities sanctioned by the organizations.
Edited by Pallavi K