Former Brazilian CSGO pro Shayene ‘shAy’ Victorio has reportedly been sentenced to 116 years in jail after being convicted of larceny and embezzlement charges relating to a business she and her ex-partner ran during 2013-2017.
shAy, who was active in CS:GO from 2008-2019 and played a key part in the rise of female Counter-Strike in Brazil, has been convicted to 116 years in prison, according to reports from Brazilian media.
The Public Ministry of the State of São Paulo alleged shAy helped run an online retail store, failing to deliver on promises to customers to deliver goods. The court heard reports from 118 victims, who were allegedly scammed from 2013-2017.
shAy retired from pro play in May 2019 after an 11-year career spanning across CS 1.6 to Global Offensive. She started streaming full-time, often playing CS:GO and GTA V to her 30,000 followers on Twitch.
shAy has defended herself after being convicted, releasing a statement to Brazilian news site UOL, through her lawyer, about the court’s findings.
“shAy is now the target of defamation on the internet, with people creating fake pages to attack her, simply for the purpose of gossip and malevolence,” said lawyer Antônio Carneiro, according to a translation.
Anunciamos a saída da @shaycsgo, que decidiu pendurar o mouse e encerrar sua carreira no cenário profissional.Uma das pioneiras no cenário e parte da nossa primeira line, ela sempre será uma Guerreira honorária 💜Uma honra ter sido sua última casa nessa longa jornada. #ByeShay pic.twitter.com/dXAY2sIK6j
— Vivo Keyd Stars (@VivoKeyd) May 13, 2019
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“We will appeal against the sentence that we consider inhumane, awaiting a new decision and under the guise of the principle of innocence, as it can only be someone found guilty, when the sentence is final.”
shAy mentioned that her partner at the time took full responsibility for the crimes, and that it “doesn’t fit in” with how she acts.
“I work with my image, I do live broadcasts daily, I am known in my field, I have a physical address. It does not fit in with what is being judged out there,” she said on Instagram, according to a translation.
Brazil’s law dictates that a person can only be jailed for 30 years for a single crime, even if the court finds the crime to be worthy of a harsher punishment.
If shAy’s appeal is unsuccessful, she will be free in 2050.
