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RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A former governor of Rio de Janeiro state who had long been dogged by corruption allegations was arrested at his home Thursday, accused of receiving bribes and laundering money in a colossal graft probe roiling Brazil. Federal police arrested Sergio Cabral in a morning raid that also snared several others connected to former governor's 2007-2014 administration. Prosecutors said Cabral received hundreds of thousands of dollars a month from several companies in exchange for help getting building contracts that ranged from projects in slums to the refurbishment of Rio's iconic Maracana Stadium. In total, Cabral received tens of millions of dollars in a scheme that included laundering money via the writing of fake contracts and buying luxury goods, according to investigators. "This case shows the overwhelming effects of corruption," said Athayde Ribeiro Costa, a lead prosecutor in the case, during a press conference. "Society suffers greatly from it." Calls to Cabral's lawyer were not immediately returned. Cabral is the latest top politician to be arrested in a massive kickback scheme connected to the state oil company Petrobras. Prosecutors allege that more than $2 billion in bribes were paid in exchange for building contracts and favorable terms over a decade. Dozens of politicians and top businessmen have been charged in the scheme. Several have been jailed. Long before the so-called "Car Wash" investigation was launched a few years ago, Cabral was repeatedly accused of wrongdoing. In 2014, he resigned after large street protests in a movement that cariocas, as Rio residents are known, called "Occupy Cabral." Detractors accused him of overseeing shady construction deals in Rio, of using state helicopters for personal trips and of allowing military police to use brutal tactics. Then-vice Gov. Luiz Fernando Pezao took over, and later was re-elected. Today Pezao and the state are facing a major fiscal crisis that has kept thousands of public employees from being paid.

Ex-Rio governor snared in sweeping Brazilian graft probe