Diego Marinho

Diego Marinho is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt instructor based in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, where he described himself as a master of the art. He operated an academy in the Nova Esperança neighborhood, located in Manaus' Centro-Oeste zone. His wife, Maysa Ladislau, is also a jiu-jitsu instructor.

On July 20, 2026, authorities served a preventive arrest warrant against Marinho, apprehending him in the Nova Esperança neighborhood through the Specialized Delegation for the Protection of Children and Adolescents (DEPCA).

Police allege that at the end of 2025, Marinho sexually assaulted a 14-year-old female student. Investigators say he exploited his position as her instructor to gain access to her home while her father was absent, carrying out the alleged assault while she was alone. The student initially confided in a close friend, who helped her disclose the incident to her father. The father subsequently filed a report at the DEPCA office on Rua Via Láctea in the Morada do Sol complex.

Following his arrest, Marinho was transferred to DEPCA headquarters and appeared at a custody hearing held at the Fórum Ministro Henoch da Silva Reis courthouse in the São Francisco neighborhood. As of late July 2026, he remained in legal custody pending judicial proceedings, with no legal representation identified on his behalf. Police urged anyone who may have experienced misconduct by Marinho to contact DEPCA headquarters to assist the ongoing investigation.

No conviction had been reported at the time of publication; all allegations reflect police statements and news reporting, not a judicial finding of guilt. Marinho's wife, Maysa Ladislau, publicly addressed the situation via Instagram, stating she received the news with pain and a strong sense of responsibility.

Marinho's arrest marked the second instance in under a month in which a martial arts instructor in Amazonas state was taken into custody on charges related to sexual violence against students, as of late July 2026. Earlier in July 2026, instructor Carlos Vieira Holanda was arrested by the Amazonas Civil Police after more than a month as a fugitive. Holanda faces investigation for rape of a vulnerable person, sexual importuning, and the sexual exploitation of at least seven female students, including children and teenagers.

A further case that drew significant attention in the local martial arts community involved Melqui Galvão, a civil police investigator and jiu-jitsu teacher arrested on April 28, 2026, on suspicion of rape of a vulnerable person, sexual importuning, threats, and unauthorized access to computer devices. Taken together, these cases raised serious concern within the community about the abuse of trust inherent in instructor-student relationships across Amazonas' martial arts scene.