Joesley Batista

About Joesley Batista

Joesley Batista is one of two billionaire brothers who control publicly traded JBS S.A., one of the world's largest meat processing companies.

Their father, Jose Batista Sobrinho, started the business with a small butcher shop in Anapolis, in central Brazil. It grew by acquiring slaughterhouses in the region.

Joesley and his brother Wesley took control of JBS in the 2000s, leading to its 2007 acquisition of U.S. pork and beef processor Swift & Co. for $225 million.

He led the international expansion of JBS and and its main agricultural business, which became one of the biggest in Brazil.

In 2017 Joesley was arrested as part of a large Brazilian bribery probe and reportedly held for six months.

In May 2017, the brothers agreed to pay a $3.2 billion fine to Brazilian authorities because of their role in a large corruption scandal.