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Iranian Instagram 'King' Arrested After Illegal Re-entry
10 Nov
Summary
- Iranian national with over a million followers arrested for illegal re-entry.
- Subject has a criminal history dating back to 1989.
- He allegedly re-entered the US illegally via an electric raft purchase.
Farzad "Tony" Toutouni, an Iranian national with more than one million Instagram followers, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on October 27 in Los Angeles. ICE has accused the 55-year-old of illegally re-entering the United States following a previous deportation and possessing a criminal record that extends back to 1989. Toutouni, who also uses the name Robert, first legally entered the U.S. in 1983.
His extensive criminal history includes arrests for offenses such as criminal threats, conspiracy, and drug possession. He was also sentenced to over 16 months in prison for crimes including grand theft, forgery, kidnapping, and extortion. An immigration judge ordered Toutouni deported in 1993, with a second removal order issued in 1999, leading to his eventual deportation to Mexico. Authorities state that Toutouni later admitted to illegally crossing back into the U.S. around April 4, 2011.
Despite his immigration and criminal background, Toutouni cultivated a prominent online persona on Instagram under the handle @lunatic_living, frequently posting images of luxury cars, private jets, and expensive properties. His social media content also reportedly featured pornography. Toutouni was also in the news following a shooting outside a West Hollywood mansion he was renting in June 2023, although he has not been implicated in the killing. He is currently in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
