Joesley Batista was arrested for the first time along with Ricardo Saud, a former executive at J&F Investimentos, the holding company that controls JBS. According to G1, the arrests were triggered by audio recordings in which Joesley and Saud suggested that a public prosecutor was assisting them with their plea bargain agreements, made as part of Operation Car Wash (Operação Lava Jato). Joesley was released several months later.