A co-defendant in the Aventura med spa criminal case alleged Trump Special Envoy Paolo Zampolli sold United Nations diplomatic passports for $250,000 each.

Amanda Ungaro, 41, a former Brazilian model and former U.N. diplomat, made the claims during an Aug. 24 livestreamed YouTube interview with Brazilian journalist Hildegard Angel. The Miami Herald reported Aug. 28 that it had the Portuguese-language interview transcribed into English.

The Herald confirmed Ungaro has been in contact with the House Oversight Committee, which is investigating Jeffrey Epstein's crimes. She claimed she presented documents about the alleged passport scheme to members of Congress. The Herald was unable to corroborate her allegations against Zampolli.

"They ran diplomatic passport schemes, selling them; countries paying one another for votes on the Security Council. It's all corrupt there, it's like a game," Ungaro said in the interview.

Ungaro links passport scheme to diplomat's death

She also alleged the scheme led to the death of John W. Ashe, a former president of the U.N. General Assembly. Ashe's 2016 death was ruled an accident by a medical examiner, who determined a barbell fell on his neck while he was lifting weights at his New York home. He was 61 and under indictment at the time for taking bribes from Chinese businessmen.

Ungaro did not implicate Zampolli in Ashe's death.

She said Ashe was killed by "the Chinese" but provided no other specifics.

Special envoy denies role in Ungaro's arrest and deportation

Zampolli, who serves as special envoy for Global Partnerships for President Donald Trump, has denied any role in the arrests of Ungaro and her husband, Joao Araujo. He also denied involvement in Ungaro's three-month detention in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities before her deportation to Brazil in October 2025.

The New York Times previously found that Zampolli contacted ICE official David Venturella, who called ICE's Miami office "to ensure" agents would pick up Ungaro from jail before she could make bail, according to the Herald's account of the Times reporting. Venturella noted the case was important to someone close to the White House. Zampolli told the Times he only reached out to inquire about the deportation process.

The Herald reported it reached out to the White House for comment. The White House directed the query to the State Department, which forwarded a link to a form. No response had been received as of the Herald's Aug. 28 publication.

Med spa investigation traces back to 2024 tip line reports

Aventura Police Department arrested Ungaro and Araujo in June 2025 and charged them with organized scheme to defraud, grand theft and unlicensed practice of medicine. The charges stemmed from their operation of Miami Beauty Academy at 2820 N.E. 214th St., where they allegedly performed liposuction, ear surgeries, Botox injections and fillers without proper licensing.

The investigation began after two Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers tips in April 2024. In January 2025, an undercover Aventura police detective visited the spa posing as a client and was quoted $5,500 for liposuction and laser procedures, according to the Herald's account of the arrest warrant.

Araujo, 57, a licensed plastic surgeon in Brazil but not in the United States, fled the country around Aug. 1 after a tamper alert on his ankle monitor. A judge issued an arrest warrant on Aug. 3 and revoked his bond. Brazil generally does not extradite its own citizens, the Herald reported.

Ungaro's criminal case in Miami-Dade remains open. She was issued an alias capias, meaning she would be arrested if she returns to the United States.

A 20-year relationship and U.N. diplomatic ties

Both Ungaro and Zampolli served as U.N. diplomats during the first Trump administration. She represented Grenada and he represented Dominica. Ungaro said she left Zampolli in 2023 after a 20-year relationship and moved to South Florida.

Ungaro said she received a letter from first lady Melania Trump's lawyers threatening a defamation lawsuit after an earlier Substack interview in which she discussed Zampolli's alleged connections to Russia. No next court date or congressional hearing has been announced in the case.

Anyone with information about unlicensed medical practices can contact Aventura Police Department at 305-466-8989.