Federal authorities believe that an immigrant TikTok influencer who has become a social media sensation by encouraging others to live illegally in U.S. homes was a sergeant in Venezuela’s military intelligence unit before entering the country illegally, a federal source told The Washington Post.
Leonel Moreno, who made headlines for bragging about the large sums of money he made in government benefits, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in March for evading probation after illegally crossing the southern border.
Since his arrest, intelligence agents have been looking into Moreno’s background and life in Venezuela, a Homeland Security source said, noting that he is believed to have been a sergeant in Venezuela’s General Directorate of Military Intelligence.
Moreno, 27, illegally crossed the border into Eagle Pass, Texas, on April 23, 2022, and was released into the U.S. but was arrested after failing to check in as required by ICE.
Intelligence from abroad is often difficult for border patrol agents trying to protect the country from potential threats.
As for Venezuela, the task is nearly impossible because the government there does not want to communicate with U.S. authorities, multiple Border Patrol sources told The Post.
“We don’t have access to anything international because we know who these people are. We really don’t have access, so it’s a bit of a problem,” one border patrol officer said.
“I joined the Border Patrol to protect the country from terrorists, but I ended up letting terrorists into the country.”
Moreno is being held in Ohio’s Geauga County Jail and is scheduled to appear before an immigration judge today.
But sources say he is struggling to come up with the funds to hire a lawyer, and the judge handling his immigration case continues to postpone his court appearances.
Geauga County Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand told The Post that Moreno is serving a quiet sentence in jail.
“I’m not aware of any issues with him. He’s with other ICE detainees,” Hildenbrand said.
Moreno had previously used social media platforms to encourage other migrants to come to the United States and to raise money from the government for grant money.
“I didn’t cross the Rio Grande to work like a slave,” Moreno said in an Instagram video, brandishing a $100 bill.
Moreno also bragged that he had enough money to support himself, his wife and their baby for 18 months without working.
According to internal federal documents previously viewed by The Washington Post, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was also considering filing firearms-related charges against Moreno, who has previously been seen in social media posts holding a gun at a gun store.
In an earlier interview with The Washington Post, Moreno lamented from prison that he was the victim of unjust “persecution.”
“I came to the United States because of persecution in my country… but in the United States they are doing the same to me, persecuting me,” Moreno lamented.
“Everything the media is reporting about me is false. They are tarnishing my reputation. They are misrepresenting me in the news. I am a good father, a good husband, a good son, a good person, humble and respectful of the people who respect me,” Moreno said.
