Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested an Iranian national with more than one million Instagram followers, accusing him of illegally re-entering the United States after deportation and having a criminal record spanning decades.Farzad “Tony” Toutouni, 55, was arrested by ICE officers in Los Angeles on October 27. The agency described him as the “Iranian King of Instagram”, referring to his lavish social media presence featuring luxury cars, private aircraft and scantily clad women.Toutouni, who also goes by the name Robert, first entered the US legally in 1983. According to ICE, his criminal history dates back to 1989 and includes arrests for criminal threats, criminal conspiracy, and possession and sale of controlled substances.He was also sentenced to more than 16 months in prison for offences including making or passing a fictitious check, grand theft, forgery, kidnapping, robbery and extortion, the agency said.In 1993, an immigration judge ordered Toutouni deported, but he remained in the country. A second removal order was issued in 1999, and he was eventually deported to Mexico, according to ICE.Authorities said Toutouni later admitted re-entering the US illegally on or around April 4, 2011, by crossing a river near St Clair, Michigan, on an electric raft he had purchased in Canada.Despite his immigration history and criminal convictions, Toutouni built a high-profile online persona under the Instagram handle @lunatic_living. His posts frequently featured expensive cars, luxury properties, private jets, stacks of cash and women in revealing outfits.ICE said his social media content appeared to include hard- and soft-core pornography.Toutouni also came under the spotlight following the June 2023 killing of Israeli immigrant Emil Lahaziel outside a West Hollywood mansion he was renting. Lahaziel was reportedly killed in a shooting connected to a high-stakes poker game. However, authorities have not implicated Toutouni in the killing. ICE said Toutouni would remain in custody pending removal proceedings.
