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The Venezuelan “migrant influencer” who entered the US illegally and encouraged other migrants to occupy and take over Americans’ homes now complains behind bars that he is a victim of persecution and misses his freedom.
Leonel Moreno, 27, spoke with The New York Post during a 30-minute television visit from inside the Geauga County Jail in Chardon, Ohio, earlier this week. He was arrested near Columbus, Ohio, late last month after failing to show up for required checkpoints with officers.
Moreno complained to The Post that he came to the United States because of “persecution in my country,” but now allegedly faces the same treatment.
“It’s all misinformation in the media about me. They’re defaming me. They’re misrepresenting me in the news,” Moreno said, insisting that he was a good father, husband and son. “I miss my whole life, I miss my freedom!”
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Moreno reportedly crossed into the United States illegally in 2022. He received border parole in April 2022 as part of the government’s Alternatives to Detention program, which is supposed to track migrants for capture and release when there is not enough space to stop them.
Federal documents reviewed by The Post now suggest he could also face federal firearms charges.
Moreno made headlines last month for his incendiary TikTok videos in which he boasted about not having to work and mocked other immigrants who come to the United States to do hard manual labor.
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“I didn’t cross the Rio Grande to work as a slave,” he said in Spanish in one of his videos. “I came to the United States to mark my territory.”
His TikTok account, which had amassed more than 500,000 followers, was banned last week, but his Instagram account, with just under 19,000 followers, appeared to remain active as of Sunday.
In a publication he acknowledges that his TikTok account was closed, but promised to continue making money on Facebook and Instagram.
He had previously told his audience that he planned to make a business of “invading” abandoned houses and taking them over with squatters’ rights laws, then selling them for a profit.
In his interview with the Post, Moreno insisted that the person appearing in his social media posts was just a “character” and should not be confused with his normal self.
“I have sarcastic, dark humor. That’s my job,” he said. “Leonel Moreno is the complete opposite.”
Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price, Mike Ruiz and Christina Coulter contributed to this report.
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