Venezuelan migrant influencer Leonel Moreno, who gave squatting tips on TikTok, says he's 'respectful to people' and says he's only in prison because his First Amendment Rights are being violated

The Venezuelan migrant influencer who gave squatting tips on TikTok said he is 'respectful to people' in a newly released prison video where he whined about how he is being treated. 

Leonel Moreno, 27, is currently in federal custody after failing to turn up to mandatory check-ins with officers as part of a Biden administration-approved parole scheme after he entered the country illegally in 2022.

In the 30-minute long video, obtained by the New York Post, Moreno was heard complaining about his conviction from inside the Geauga County Jail in Chardon, Ohio. 

'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 said.

'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 son, a good person, humble, respectful to people who respect me.' 

Leonel Moreno, 27, was seen in a recent video from Geauga County Jail insisting the US is 'persecuting' him and that the media is spreading 'misinformation'

He first sparked chaos when he started sharing tips on how to invade vacant homes and live off of the US government on his TikTok account 

Moreno was arrested on March 29, about two years after him and his wife Vernonia Torres (pictured) illegally crossed into the US through the southern border in Eagle Pass, Texas in April, 2022

As he spoke in Spanish and hid his face from the camera, Moreno added: 'I miss my entire life-- I miss my freedom!' 

Moreno was arrested on March 29, about two years after he and his wife, Vernonia Torres, illegally crossed into the US through the southern border in Eagle Pass, Texas in April 2022. 

Since he was placed in federal prison, Torres has complained that she doesn't know where her husband was taken after being barred from visiting him. 

'We don't know where they took him and I can't see him,' she told the Post. 'I can't give you any more information because I don't know much.'

In the recent video of Moreno, he was seen among other prisoners dressed in blue-striped jumpsuits. 

During the recording, five inmates looked in his direction and shouted at him as he said: 'What is happening?' 

'I am afraid they're going to kill me. They're coming for my life--- anyone!' 

He said he has been in contact with his wife since being detained, and told the Post to contact her so she could 'charge' the outlet for a 'good interview' with him. 

The Post declined as the outlet 'does not pay for interviews.'  

Moreno could also face firearm charges after recent video of him was discovered as he posed with a firearm on his popular Instagram account. 

During his video, Moreno said he was afraid other inmates were 'going to kill' him as five of them looked his way and shouted inside the Geauga County Jail in Chardon, Ohio  (pictured)

The video has since been flagged to Immigration and Customs Enforcement by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 

Sources told the Post the charges likely relate to violations of the Gun Control Act which prevents parolees from possessing, shipping, transporting or receiving firearms or ammunition. 

Any possible further charges would 'escalate' the case against Moreno, former ICE field office director John Fabbricatore told the Post.

'Charges under [Gun Control Act section] 922.g are a serious matter and can result in significant legal consequences for Moreno.

'This should be a warning to any illegal aliens that possessing a firearm unlawfully will result in criminal charges and hopefully lead to a conviction,' Fabbricatore explained.

In the post, Moreno brandished a large firearm in a gun store and asking his followers which weapon they like best.

'Thank God I already have my license,' he said in one post.

'If you want a gun you can buy them in stores,' he explained in another.

He first sparked chaos when he started sharing tips on how to invade vacant homes and live off of the US government on his TikTok account @leitooficial_25, where he had over half a million followers before the account was suspended.

In one of his now-viral videos, he instructed his followers how to 'invade' American homes and invoke squatter's rights, claiming that under US law, 'if a house is not inhabited, we can seize it.'

Moreno could also face firearm charges after recent video of him was discovered as he posed with a firearm on his popular Instagram account

Some of his other videos show him claiming he is begging for money on the streets with his baby daughter

Some of his other videos showed him claiming that he was begging for money on the streets with his baby daughter. 

Other posts showed him waving fistfuls of cash, as he claimed to have benefitted from government programs. 

The original account helped officials track Moreno down after he went missing while on the Alternatives to Detention program. 

Moreno also made headlines in February, after he demanded Venezuelans unite to help a 15-year-old migrant accused of shooting a tourist and trying to kill a NYPD officer in Times Square.

Venezuelans have taken to social media to denounce him as a troll, and accused him of using their situation to become an influencer while sparking hatred against migrants who plan on working for a better life in the US.

'He’s gone absolutely viral for all the wrong reasons and is a complete an utter embarrassment and disgrace to my home country,' wrote Daniel Laplana on X.

'I have nothing but contempt for the guy and his insufferable caricature of a Venezuelan migrant,' said Venezuelan-American Rafael Estruve, president of Houston Young Republicans.

'His charade is gross blend of incompetence and arrogance put on full display, and he is by far one of the absolute worst representations of Venezuelans on a public platform,' another said.