Oct. 15 (Bloomberg) -- The October issue of the Brazilian edition of Playboy is flying off newsstands.

Nude photos of the former mistress of a senator under investigation for graft adorn the centerfold and cover, which offers the headline: ``The Woman Who Shook Up the Republic.''

Her name is Monica Veloso, and she's the latest Brazilian woman to achieve notoriety in the press, then bare all for the magazine. Previous issues featured a soccer line judge who was sacked for poor decisions, a soccer fan who threw fireworks during an international game, and an aide to a senator involved in a 2005 corruption scandal.

Whenever possible, the Brazilian edition of Playboy features women who are newsmakers rather than models or actresses, said Edson Aran, the magazine's managing editor in Brazil, a country where skimpy bikinis and near-naked carnival revelers make bare flesh commonplace.

``Our best covers are those that have exciting news behind them,'' said Aran. ``It's a trademark of the Brazilian Playboy, and makes the magazine much more appealing.''

This month's edition, which went on sale Oct. 9, features Veloso, the former television presenter at the heart of a scandal engulfing Senate President Renan Calheiros, 52. Calheiros is about to face a fifth congressional ethics investigation this year for suspected graft and abuse of power. He stepped down temporarily on Oct. 11.

`Flattered'

``I'm flattered that a woman my age is attracting so much attention,'' said Veloso, 39, adding that she decided to pose for Playboy because she knew the pictures would be elegant and she was well paid. Neither she nor the magazine would disclose the amount.

Veloso consulted her parents before accepting, and ``they are very proud of the result,'' she said.

Brazil's Congress began investigating Calheiros after Veja magazine reported in May that a lobbyist had made child-support payments to Veloso, who has a daughter by Calheiros. The following month, Veloso's lawyer told a congressional hearing she had received bags of cash from the lobbyist.

Calheiros, who is married, has acknowledged paternity of Veloso's child, though he has denied allegations of graft or other wrongdoing.

``I rebuff vehemently and with indignation the false accusations,'' Calheiros said in an Oct. 8 statement.

Demand From Congressmen

Playboy is benefiting from Calheiros's troubles. Outside the Congress building in Brasilia, the capital, newspaper vendor Jose Irinaldo sold 105 copies the first day the October issue appeared.

``Congressmen insisted on having it today,'' said Irinaldo, who had ordered 100 copies and borrowed five from another newsstand. ``I'm ordering at least 50 more.''

Irinaldo said that, until now, he has never sold more than 50 Playboys in a month.

In Rio de Janeiro, Neide Vasconcellos, a marketing executive, said she bought the magazine because she wanted a good look at the tattoo of a heart and flowers on Veloso's lower back.

``I was really curious after hearing so much about this woman,'' she said.

The October issue may be Playboy's best-seller this year, beating the 350,000 copies sold in August, when the magazine published photos of a participant in Brazil's version of the Big Brother reality show, Aran said.

Previous Scandal

A previous Playboy hit in Brasilia featured an aide to a senator involved in a 2005 graft scandal.

Camilla Amaral, 27, appeared wearing black panties next to a suitcase bulging with U.S. currency. The inside pages had photos of Amaral stepping on a model of the Congress building. The headline on the cover for the blonde Brazilian was, ``The Muse of the Congressional Investigation.''

Women in soccer have also made it to the cover of Playboy in Brazil, the only country to have won the sport's World Cup five times. Ana Paula Oliveira, a line judge who was fired after making mistakes at matches in the men's pro league, appeared in July this year.

Another was Rosenery Mello, who was arrested for throwing a flare at Chilean players during a 1989 World Cup qualifying game against Brazil. Mello, who was 24 at the time, became known as the firecracker of the Maracana, in reference to the Rio stadium where the match took place.

Short-Lived Fame

For most of these women, being a Playboy centerfold has led to neither lasting fame nor fortune.

Oliveira, a 25-year-old brunette, said in an interview published on Playboy's Web site that she had received an invitation to participate in a reality TV show. That hasn't yet happened, and she has faded from the media.

Mello said in an interview in Placar magazine that she spent the $40,000 Playboy paid her on having fun and traveling.

Veloso's experience may be different. The appearance in Playboy will help boost sales of a book she has written on political life in Brasilia that is due to be published in November, said Aran.

``It's not a book of scandals,'' Veloso said. ``People are curious to know how things happen in Brasilia. I'm very qualified to tell those stories.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Adriana Brasileiro in Rio de Janeiro at abrasileiro@bloomberg.net;

Last Updated: October 14, 2007 22:50 EDT