Phases of Operation Car Wash
list of phases of Operation Car Wash by the Brazilian Federal Police
A long series of criminal investigations have occurred in Brazil associated with Operation Car Wash. The first investigation was launched in March 2014, and is now known as phase 1 of the investigation, with subsequent inquiries numbered sequentially and having code names such as phase 2 (Operation Bidone), phase 3 (Operation Casablanca), and so on. By February 2021, there were 80 announced phases of Operation Car Wash.
Besides these, there were other investigations that are considered offshoots of Operation Car Wash.
Background
Operation Car Wash (Portuguese: Operação Lava Jato) was an investigation into money laundering and political corruption in Brazil, which has been led by investigative judges, and carried out by the Federal Police.
Since its initiation, many investigations have been conducted by the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Attorney General's Office and the Federal Police from documents collected from search warrants, condução coercitiva warrants, and documents and testimonials obtained in cases of sovereign immunity. The goal of the investigation is to ascertain the extent of the money laundering scheme, estimated to be R$6.4–42.8 billion (US$2–13 billion), largely through embezzlement of Petrobras funds. At least eleven other countries, mostly in Latin America, were involved, and the Brazilian company Odebrecht was deeply implicated. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced that the $853 penalty assessed by the DOJ was in addition to an agreed total of $933 million in disgorgement and prejudgment interest, in connection with a $2.5 billion overstatement of assets in a US$10 billion stock offering completed in 2010.
It has resulted in more than a thousand judicial warrants being served for three investigative judges.
The public source identifies “Phases of Operation Car Wash” as list of phases of Operation Car Wash by the Brazilian Federal Police. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Phases, Operation and Wash.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Phases of Operation Car Wash”, the useful work is to connect “list of phases of Operation Car Wash by the Brazilian Federal Police” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q30932600. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2014, 2021 and 2010.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Phases of Operation Car Wash”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Phases of Operation Car Wash primary sources, Phases of Operation Car Wash archive and Phases research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Phases of Operation Car Wash”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Phases of Operation Car Wash” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.