The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) finally heard Brazilian economist and journalist Gustavo Brasileiro and filed a report regarding his recent assault and kidnapping for four days in his own apartment in Hollywood.
However, despite the charges of violence and the presence of blood in the premises, authorities still haven't visited Brasileiro's apartment to collect blood samples and fingerprints left by his captors and victims who apparently were tortured by them in the apartment.
Brasileiro was held hostage, injected drugs by force from May 16th to May 20th, while the suspects used his credit cards to get cash and make purchases of about US$ 10,000 so far. They have also withdrawn about US$ 12,000 from his bank accounts in Banco do Brasil and Washington Mutual.
On Monday morning, May 25, Brasileiro managed to escape unnoticed from his apartment and was able to go to the police. They ended up coming to his apartment, but despite the police order that the suspects surrender, they barricaded inside the apartment for nearly 20 minutes and all managed to escape, probably getting to the roof through the apartment's window.
They, however, left behind many of their belongings, including a Florida driver's license, a US passport, a rechargeable ATM card and clothes. The police, however, haven't made any arrest yet.
The majors suspect on this case are Thomas Bahr (male, blond, blue eyes, 40 years old, 6'4", 250 lb), Gerald Feldman (male, brown hair, green eyes, about 38 years old, 6'2", 230 lb) and their gang. Bahr was about to start living at Brasileiro's apartment and was supposed to become the Brazilian economist's helper and body guard.
The Brazilian Ambassador in Washington, Teresa Quintela, has asked Los Angeles authorities to seriously investigate this innovative type of crime, which mix ingredients like: abuse of disabled victim (Gustavo Brasileiro has been blind for the past 2 years) use of syringes loaded with heavy duty drugs, such as methamphetamines, lots of verbal intimidation and hate of minorities, such as gays and Latin American immigrants (Brasileiro is gay).
Brasileiro's Story
Born in 1964 in Recife, capital of the Brazilian Northeastern state of Pernambuco, Brasileiro graduated in Economics at age 21 and began a career at Banco do Brasil where he played an important role in modernizing that financial institution, adjusting it to the changes needed to compete in the free market. He was also instrumental in fighting corruption inside the organization.
In 1997 he established a business consulting company in the United States. Since then Brasileiro has provided business advice for American companies that invest in Brazil.
In 2000, disappointed with the misinformation and stereotyping about Brazil in the international, which for the most part was based in reports made by American correspondents living in Brazil, Brasileiro started the Brazilian Times, a daily news source in English with a Brazilian viewpoint.
In 2004, after several eye surgeries, Brasileiro, who had contracted AIDS, realized that he would go blind very soon. So, he decided to stop his Internet venture. In 2005 he went entirely blind and found himself living in an unknown new dark world in Hollywood.
Despite suggestions that he go back to Brazil the Brazilian economist chose to stay in Los Angeles because of the better medical care he could have here, he also found a new lover and was afraid of living as a blind person in a violent Brazilian city.
After his lover had to move out from Brasileiro's apartment due to a new job in Orange County, Gustavo stayed alone behind. He started searching out for a reliable roommate until he met Thomas Bahr – the guy who ended up kidnapping him – who offered to live with him and provide personal assistance and body guard protection.
Even before Bahr moved in he brought his best friend, Gerald, and at 11 pm of May 16 they started a four-day, four-night session of forced injection of drugs and abuse while they used the apartment for illegal business and apparently prostitution.
Brasileiro says that this is not the time to give more details on his ordeal. He seems very concerned, however, that all the blood now drying off in his bathroom might have been the result of abuse and maybe even murder.
