Migrant influencer Leonel Moreno can’t afford a lawyer: sources

American news

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By means of Jennie Taer

‘Migrant influencer’ Leonel Moreno is struggling to get the money for a lawyer, despite previously waving huge stacks of $100 bills on social media, The Post has exclusively learned.

Moreno bragged daily in TikTok videos about how much money he had made from government welfare programs and street begging before his March 29 arrest in Columbus, Ohio.

He pitted fellow immigrants and ordinary Americans against each other with inflammatory statements such as: “That’s the difference between you and me. I’m always going to make a lot of money without much work, and you’re always going to be exploited, miserable and insignificant.

However, the Venezuelan national was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents for skipping the terms of his probation, which was imposed on him after he was caught illegally entering the US and is currently being held in Geauga Prison County. .

An immigration judge overseeing Moreno’s case continues to reschedule his hearings for future dates as Moreno struggles to raise the money to pay for a lawyer.

“He is having financial difficulties finding an attorney for his case,” an ICE source told The Post.

In an earlier statement to The Post, an ICE spokesperson said: “Leonel Moreno is an unlawfully present citizen of Venezuela who illegally entered the country on April 23, 2022.

“Moreno was placed in the Alternatives To Detention program by the Border Patrol and was told to report to the Office of Enforcement and Removal within 60 days of arriving at his destination.

“Moreno did not report as required. On March 29, 2024, Moreno was arrested in Gahanna, Ohio by agents from ERO Detroit’s Columbus office and is currently being held pending further immigration proceedings.

Moreno spent his days roaming freely across the US and became a viral influencer on social media, using his platforms to encourage other migrants to invade the country and squat in the homes of US citizens.

He also told his followers that all his money came from government benefits and that he used a cardboard sign to get money from passing strangers.

“I didn’t cross the Rio Grande to work like a slave,” Moreno said in an Instagram clip. “I came to the US to establish my territory.

“You’re hurt because I earn more than you without much work, while you work like slaves, understand?” Moreno said in another social media post.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has been weighing possible weapons charges against Moreno, according to internal federal documents previously reviewed by The Post.

Moreno’s previous social media posts show him holding firearms at a gun shop, where he asked his followers “what do you guys like most.” There is no evidence that Moreno actually purchased a gun.

“Thank God I already have my driver’s license,” he said in one of the messages. “If you want a gun, you can buy them in stores,” he said in another.

After Moreno’s arrest by ICE, The Post spoke with his tearful wife, Veronica Torres, in Gahanna, where she said she was not allowed to see her jailed husband.

“We don’t know where they took him and I can’t see him,” she told The Post at the time.