Dona Branca

Portuguese fraudster

Dona Branca

Born	Maria Branca dos Santos 1902 Lisbon, Portugal
Died	1992 (aged 89–90)
Nationality	Portugal
Other names	Dona Branca

Motive	Fraud, Forgery
Criminal penalty	10 years in jail

Maria Branca dos Santos, more commonly referred to as "Dona" Branca^[1] (1902–1992), was a Portuguese criminal known chiefly for maintaining a Ponzi scheme in Portugal between 1970 and 1984 that paid a ten percent monthly interest.^[2] During this time she became popularly known as "The people's banker".^[3]

Dona Branca was arrested in 1984, and in 1988 she was sentenced to 10 years in prison.^[4] She was one of the last inmates of Convento das Mónicas when it was dismantled in 1989.

In 1993 RTP created a telenovela titled A Banqueira do Povo ("The People's Banker") based on these events with Eunice Muñoz playing the role of the title character, in this case Dona Benta.

References

^ Prowse, Madeleine (2 August 1984). "Where does Granny the banker get her money?". The Globe and Mail; Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]. pp. CL3 – via ProQuest.
^ Ramalhete, Vera (1 February 2016). "Do primeiro ao maior esquema Ponzi. Conheça cinco casos". www.jornaldenegocios.pt (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2022-05-14.
^ "People's banker is put on trial". Globe & Mail (Toronto, Canada). February 19, 1988.
^ Visão, Apanhados pelos selos, 18 May 2006.