Police serving an arrest warrant for a wealthy man accused of child abuse in Rio de Janeiro say they stumbled upon his extensive collection of Nazi memorabilia estimated to be worth $3.2 million.
The 58-year-old, who has not been named by authorities, was allegedly approaching children in the condominium complex where he lived in western Rio de Janeiro and tried to take them into his home, police said.
But when authorities arrived to arrest the man, they also found a vast collection of more than 1,000 items related to Nazism that included uniforms, insignia, medals, paintings and photographs of Adolf Hitler, according to Reuters.
The suspect was charged with discrimination upon the discovery of the haul, police said, and World War II-era guns and ammo present in the apartment also landed him with an illegal weapons charge.
The suspect comes from a family that amassed wealth through investing, Luis Armond, the case’s lead detective, told Reuters, and police believe he used his inheritance to fund his collecting hobby—a uniform worn by a high-ranking Nazi can cost as much as $290,000, he said.
Police are investigating whether the suspect has ties to far-right groups in Brazil, and Armond floated the possibility of a museum taking the Nazi collection.