Illegal migrant TikTok influencer who urged others to squat in US homes believed to have worked in Venezuela’s military intel: fed source

Federal authorities believe that the migrant TikTok influencer who became a social media sensation for encouraging others to squat in US homes was a sergeant in Venezuela’s military intelligence unit before he illegally entered the country, a federal source told The Post.

Leonel Moreno — who went viral for bragging about all the money he was making in government benefits — was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in March for skipping out on the terms of his probation after he crossed the southern border illegally.

Since his arrest, intelligence officers have taken a closer look at Moreno’s history and his life in Venezuela, noting that he allegedly was a sergeant of the Venezuelan general directorate of military intelligence, according to a Homeland Security source.

Moreno, 27, crossed the border illegally into Eagle Pass, Texas, on April 23, 2022, and was released into the country, but skipped out on required check-ins with ICE, which led to his arrest.

Information from foreign countries is often hard to come by for border agents trying to protect the country from potential threats.

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When it comes to Venezuela, the task is nearly impossible because the government there is unwilling to communicate with US authorities, several Border Patrol sources have told The Post.

“Knowing who these guys are, we have, like, no access to anything International. Like, we really don’t and it kind of sucks,” said one border agent.

“I wanted to get into Border Patrol and protect from terrorists. And it’s like, well, I probably let terrorists in the country.”

Moreno remains in custody at the Geauga County Jail in Ohio and is set to see an immigration judge today.

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However, he’s been having trouble coming up with the money to hire an attorney so the judge presiding over his immigration case has kept delaying his appearance, according to sources.

Moreno has been laying low in jail, Geauga County Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand told The Post.

“I don’t know of any problems that we’ve had with him. He’s in with the rest of the ICE inmates,” said Hildenbrand.

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Moreno previously used his social media platforms to encourage other migrants to come to the US, where they could get money from collecting government handouts.

“I didn’t cross the Rio Grande to work like a slave,” Moreno said in one Instagram clip while waving around $100 bills.

Moreno also boasted about how he had enough money to support himself, his wife and their baby for 18 months without needing a job.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had also been weighing possible gun charges against Moreno, who was seen in past social media posts holding firearms at a gun store, according to internal federal documents previously reviewed by The Post.

In a previous interview with The Post , Moreno moaned from jail that he’s a victim of unjust “persecution.”

“I came here to the United States because of persecution in my country … But they’re doing the same thing to me in the United States – persecuting me,” Moreno wailed.

“It’s all misinformation in the media about me. They’re defaming me. They’re misrepresenting me in the news … I am a good father, a good husband, a good son, a good person, humble, respectful to people who respect me,” said Moreno.

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