Spent stolen cash on designer clothes and fast cars

A 27-year-old Brazilian mayor has been jailed for 14 years for stealing millions from some of the country's poorest families and spending the money on Champagne and fast cars.

According to The Independent, Lidiane Leite lived in luxury 289km from Bom Jardim, one of Brazil's most deprived towns with a population of 40,000.

From there, she sent directives to the town's officials via a 'Task Force' WhatsApp group while embezzling nearly $8m from the area's education fund.

She documented her glamorous life of expensive dinners, wine, cars and designer clothes on her Instagram profile — which has since been made private — while poverty-stricken children at the local school were denied free meals.

In one post, she wrote: "I can buy whatever I want. I’m going to spend money on what I want and I don’t care what people say about me".

After police discovered the missing money (and her lavish lifestyle), Leite went on the run. She gave herself up after 39 days, and a two-and-a-half year legal battle ensued.

Leite has now been sentenced to 14 years in prison followed by a further six years under house arrest.

Her rise to power was as controversial as her time in office.

Humberto Dantas dos Santos, her boyfriend, was banned from running for mayor in Bom Jardim in 2012 following corruption charges.

Leite ran instead, making dos Santos her chief advisor. The pair split up in 2015 and he resigned, before disappearing when the fraudulent activity surfaced.

He has been sentenced to 17 years in prison with a further seven years under house arrest, but remains on the run.