In 2014, while working in Curitiba, Sergio Moro became one of the head judges in Operation Car Wash (Portuguese: Operação Lava Jato), a massive criminal investigation that started as a money laundering case and evolved to a huge corruption scandal crackdown, involving bribery and misappropriation of public funds by political authorities.
The investigation was modeled after Mani pulite in Italy.
Corruption scandals in Brazil usually take a long time to investigate and the whole legal process tends to drag.
However, at an unusual speed, Moro authorized further investigations, detentions and questioning of suspects.
By late 2017, at least 120 sentences were carried and 175 people were sent to jail.
Despite some criticism from fellow jurists for being a "media darling", Moro enjoyed high popularity with the Brazilian people and became one of the main faces in the fight against corruption in the country, at least in the public eye.

Despite the criticism of the speed with which he passed the sentences for such a huge case, his actions received the backing of the Brazilian Supreme Court and most of his sentences and decisions were upheld in higher courts.
By late 2016, Moro had sent 28 people to jail on charges of corruption, with four of them having their sentences reduced by a higher judge and four being set free upon further deliberation.
Overall, in Operation Car Wash, 71% of the sentences given by Moro were upheld by the Brazilian Regional Federal Courts.

In 2017, Moro sentenced former Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, to 9 and a half years in jail, on the charges of money laundering and passive corruption.
The sentencing caused an uproar in Brazil, with many widely supporting and saluting the judge for his decision, with others claiming he was getting ahead of himself.
Lula was considered the frontrunner for the 2018 presidential election.
In 2014, while working in Curitiba, Sergio Moro became one of the head judges in Operation Car Wash (Portuguese: Operação Lava Jato), a massive criminal investigation that started as a money laundering case and evolved to a huge corruption scandal crackdown, involving bribery and misappropriation of public funds by political authorities. The investigation was modeled after Mani pulite in Italy. Corruption scandals in Brazil usually take a long time to investigate and the whole legal process tends to drag. However, at an unusual speed, Moro authorized further investigations, detentions and questioning of suspects. By late 2017, at least 120 sentences were carried and 175 people were sent to jail. Despite some criticism from fellow jurists for being a "media darling", Moro enjoyed high popularity with the Brazilian people and became one of the main faces in the fight against corruption in the country, at least in the public eye.
Despite the criticism of the speed with which he passed the sentences for such a huge case, his actions received the backing of the Brazilian Supreme Court and most of his sentences and decisions were upheld in higher courts. By late 2016, Moro had sent 28 people to jail on charges of corruption, with four of them having their sentences reduced by a higher judge and four being set free upon further deliberation. Overall, in Operation Car Wash, 71% of the sentences given by Moro were upheld by the Brazilian Regional Federal Courts.
In 2017, Moro sentenced former Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, to 9 and a half years in jail, on the charges of money laundering and passive corruption. The sentencing caused an uproar in Brazil, with many widely supporting and saluting the judge for his decision, with others claiming he was getting ahead of himself. Lula was considered the frontrunner for the 2018 presidential election.
Sérgio Moro