The famous Venezuelan migrant who encouraged other border crossers to squat in U.S. homes and collect benefits may once have been a spy.
Leonel Moreno was allegedly a sergeant in Venezuela’s general military intelligence directorate before crossing into the country at Eagle Pass, Texas, on April 23, 2023, federal authorities said. he told the New York Post.
They said they have been investigating Moreno’s past since he was arrested in March, but are having difficulty finding information about him as the Venezuelan government has not cooperated with U.S. authorities.
One Border Patrol agent even told the Post that “they don’t have access to anything international.”
“I wanted to get into Border Patrol and protect myself from terrorists,” the unidentified agent said. “And I thought, well, I probably let terrorists into the country.”
Leonel Moreno, who gained notoriety for a video in which he encouraged migrants to occupy homes in the United States, was allegedly a sergeant in Venezuela’s general directorate of military intelligence.
Moreno remains in custody at the Ceauga County Jail in Ohio, but is reportedly having trouble finding the money to hire a lawyer, prompting the judge overseeing his immigration case to continually delay his court appearance.
Meanwhile, the Geauga County sheriff said Moreno is behaving well while behind bars.
“I don’t know of any problems we’ve had with him,” Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand told the Post.
“He’s with the rest of the ICE inmates.”
The TikTok influencer gained notoriety in March after a video went viral in which he advised his followers on how to “invade” American homes and invoke squatters’ rights.
He said that under US law, “if a house is not inhabited, we can seize it.”
Moreno was referring to squatters’ rights, or adverse possession laws, a common law principle that allows a squatter to acquire ownership of a property based on continued occupation without the consent of the legal owner.
Moreno also posted videos encouraging migrants to take advantage of U.S. benefits.
Many Americans expressed outrage at Moreno’s advice when the video went viral.
One X user claimed he was “promoting terrorism” and asked: ‘Where are the @FBI and @DHSgov to track this guy down and arrest him?
“Why do we have laws in this country that allow illegals to come in and take over homes that are not theirs? Our country is being taken over by force and our government is allowing that to happen.”
It was later learned that Moreno traveled to the United States with his wife and young daughter, who frequently appears in his clips.
The family had reportedly received $350 a week from the federal government, and at one point Moreno showed off $100 bills in a video encouraging other migrants to collect government aid.
“I didn’t cross the Rio Grande to work like a slave,” he said in the clip.
But those videos apparently allowed ICE to track Moreno.
He had entered the country illegally with his wife and daughter in April 2023.
ICE officials were looking for him and said he had enrolled in the Alternatives to Detention program, which allows immigrants on parole to go free while officials track them down until their next court date.
But Moreno failed to show up for his court date in Miami in November 2022, and was listed as a “fugitive” from the program.
After his arrest, Moreno said he was a victim of persecution.
“I am in mortal danger in the United States! I need protection! They are persecuting me! My account has been blocked!” she told her followers in a video, while visibly sobbing.
‘My people, I need you to pay attention to what is happening because my family is in danger. My TikTok accounts have been deleted. I have received threats from powerful people. Help!’
In another video he added: ‘My people, you already got what you wanted! Envy has reached my family! Everything that is happening is because of your evil!
‘They want to silence me!’
In another video from the Ohio prison, Moreno can be heard complaining about his sentence.
“I came here to the United States because of persecution in my country… But they are doing the same thing to me in the United States: they are persecuting me,” Moreno said.
“Everything in the media about me is misinformation. They are defaming me, they are distorting me in the news… I am a good father, a good son, a good person, humble, respectful of people who respect me.”
Moreno is now being held in the Ceauga County Jail in Ohio, where he could face additional weapons charges.
But Moreno could now also be charged with weapons possession, after one of his videos showed him brandishing a large firearm in a gun store and asking his followers which weapon they like best.
The video was reported to Immigration and Customs Enforcement by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Sources told the Post that the charges are likely related to violations of the Gun Control Act, which prevents parolees from possessing, shipping, transporting or receiving firearms or ammunition.
Any potential additional charges would “escalate” the case against Moreno, former ICE field office director John Fabbricatore told the Post.
‘Charges under Section 922.g of the Gun Control Act are a serious matter and may result in significant legal consequences for Moreno.
“This should be a warning to all illegal aliens that possessing a firearm illegally will result in criminal charges and hopefully a conviction,” Fabbricatore said.