Houston business owner accused of impersonating influencer and creating deepfake sexual content

A Houston business owner was arrested on Tuesday morning after a monthslong investigation by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office on charges connected to impersonating a Houston internet influencer and creating fake nude images of the woman.

Jorge “George” Abrego, the owner of HTX Tactical, is charged with online impersonation and unlawful production of sexually explicit videos.

Abrego allegedly created fake TikTok accounts impersonating a Houston-based online influencer with more than 300,000 Instagram followers and more than 90,000 TikTok followers, using similar usernames with slight variations, according to records.

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The victim told HCSO that Abrego has expressed an interest in dating her and is “in love with her,” according to records.

He admitted to investigators that he also created fake nude images of her, according to investigators, who found more than 50 nude images and videos on his cell phone, records show. It’s believed they were made with artificial intelligence and show the victim appearing to be engaged in sexual conduct.

The victim told deputies that she’s scared for her life, has suffered financial loss, and that the false and potentially defamatory content under her likeness cause injury to her personal and professional reputation, according to records.

In one instance, AI-created videos showed a girl wearing green lingerie and bent over a table with her face photoshopped on. Another TikTok video showed the victim topless with flowers over her nipples, according to court records.

The victim told deputies that she has never posted nude images on the internet, records show.

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Investigators executed several grand jury subpoenas to track down the account user information for the fake accounts, cell phone and email subscriber information, as well as IP address details, in order to trace the fake accounts back to Abrego, records show. The phone number used to create a fake account is the number registered to Abrego, investigators found.

The IP address was registered to HTX Tactical, records also showed.

According to Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Abrego was arrested at 5401 Mitchelldale Street, the address for HTX Tactical. HCSO also said there is no reason to believe there are additional victims at this time.

Abrego does not have a bond set at this time, and he has not appeared before a magistrate as of this writing, but KPRC 2 News reported on a break-in at his business in May.

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And earlier this year, during hearings in the federal arson case against former Turkey Leg Hut co-owner Lynn Price, federal prosecutors and an FBI agent revealed that the owner of HTX Tactical told them he regularly texted with Price about the price of various available firearms.