Walter Delgatti Neto, arrested last Tuesday (23) on suspicion of being a hacker, said that he was the source of the Lava Jato message leaks published The Intercept.
In a statement, Delgatti, one of four arrested by PF, said he forwarded the messages to journalist Glenn Greenwald, the site's founder, anonymously, voluntarily and without payment.
His contact with Greenwald was virtual through the Telegram conversation application, and occurred after the attacks on the authorities' cell phones had already been carried out.
Police are investigating whether Delgatti acted voluntarily and without payment. There is no evidence so far that proves he was paid, authorities say.
In a testimony, Delgatti said he hacked the phones because he did not agree with Lava Jato. Delgatti participated in a group of hackers who hacked Telegram accounts and bank accounts for cash.
Federal Police forensics copied the data stored by the suspect on cloud platforms, and it suggests there is truth in at least some of Delgatti's statements so far.
In this seized material, there are conversations between Lava Jato prosecutors such as those released by The Intercept.
According to those involved in the search and seizure on Tuesday, a Delgatti cell phone was in Economy Minister Paulo Guedes's Telegram account when agents arrived at his home in Araraquara.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon