RIO DE JANEIRO — The former governor of Rio de Janeiro, who helped bring the Summer Olympics to the city, was arrested on Thursday in a scheme that the authorities said siphoned tens of millions of dollars from huge public construction projects.

Federal prosecutors say they suspect that the former governor, Sérgio Cabral, led an organized crime ring that diverted at least 224 million reals, or about $64 million, in bribes for the renovation of Maracanã Stadium before the 2014 Word Cup and two other projects, according to the prosecutors.

Mr. Cabral led the State of Rio de Janeiro from 2007 to 2014, boom times for Rio and the nation that ended with a brutal recession. He resigned amid suspicions of corruption and growing street protests.

Mr. Cabral insisted on a 5 percent payoff per construction project, in addition to another 1 percent for one of his aides, Lauro Coelho Jr., a federal prosecutor in Rio de Janeiro, said at a news conference on Thursday, and received monthly payments between 2007 and 2014.