The twisted story of Kat Torres—Instagram personality, self-proclaimed life coach, and alleged ex-girlfriend of Leonardo DiCaprio—has sparked global outrage once again after a BBC World documentary re-aired this week.
Like, Follow Trafficked: Insta’s Fake Guru provides a deep look into Torres’ glamorous social media scam, as well as the crimes that ended up putting her behind bars for eight years in June 2024.
Highlights
- Kat Torres is an Instagram influencer who scammed millions and forced some into slavery.
- She claimed to be a life coach but used her platform to exploit vulnerable women.
- Her heavy use of ayahuasca led to paranoia and erratic behavior.
- Despite imprisonment, she shows no regret for her actions.
From human trafficking to slavery, the 32-year-old used her Instagram presence as a “spiritual messiah” to lure women into domestic servitude and s*x work. Her descent into crime was explained by a deteriorating mental state due to heavy use of psychedelic substances.
Despite being behind bars, Kat insisted she had no regrets and does not believe she deserved to face legal consequences for her actions.
BBC documentary reignites interest in Kat Torres’ case—an alleged ex-girlfriend of Leonardo DiCaprio who was incarcerated for human trafficking
Image credits: BBC News
Katiuscia Torres presented herself as the ultimate rags-to-riches success story on social media.
Raised in a poor neighborhood in Belém, Brazil, her physical beauty immediately set her apart from her peers, opening doors to a world full of riches and glamour.
Kat started modeling at 12 and quickly rose to international gigs. By her early twenties, she was seen rubbing shoulders with the elite—including a now-infamous photograph with Leonardo DiCaprio at Cannes in 2013.
Image credits: BBC News
While their relationship has never been officially confirmed, Kat states that she and DiCaprio were very close for the short period of time they were together.
“I met Leo in Cannes. We were staying in the same house at the festival,” she told a local newspaper. “We have a pact that nothing can ever be said about our relationship.”
Image credits: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
DiCaprio’s reluctance to be associated with Torres proved to be a good decision in the long run, as the model would eventually use her notoriety to begin a self-help scam on social media, promising her followers—mostly vulnerable women—the “love, money, and self-esteem that [they had] always dreamed of.”
Kat used her social media presence to build a self-help empire, positioning herself as a “spiritual messiah”
Image credits: Franklin County Sheriff's Office
“Everything I saw seemed credible. She was an ex-model who decided to turn into a life coach. I saw hope in her, and believed she was the person who would guide me to what I wanted in life,” said Ana, one of Kat’s victims.
Image credits: BBC News
Initially offering $150 life-coaching sessions and $700-a-year “spiritual mentorship programs,” her message resonated with hundreds of women seeking healing from past trauma.
Image credits: BBC News
Her methods proved unconventional, as rather than using scientifically researched therapies or proven treatments, Kat presented herself as a spiritual savior, taking elements from her knowledge of witchcraft and mysticism to manipulate her clients into becoming dependent on her guidance.
Image credits: BBC News
According to victims, instead of making their lives better, her advice often ended up isolating them.
“She claimed my relationship was toxic and if we didn’t separate, something terrible would happen to me. I was terrified—I really believed she had a supernatural precognition,” said Desirre, another of her followers interviewed by the BBC.
The model’s heavy use of ayahuasca, a strong psychoactive drink, made her paranoid and unable to bathe alone
Image credits: BBC News
As time went on, Kat—who reportedly took inspiration from self-help figures like Tony Robbins and Brazil’s John of God—became increasingly erratic in her behavior.
Image credits: BBC World Service
Former associates said that her deteriorating mental state was the result of her heavy and frequent use of ayahuasca, a herbal South American psychoactive drink that causes feelings of euphoria and up to six hours of strong visual and auditory hallucinations.
Image credits: BBC News
“Ayahuasca’s legal status is complex,” explained criminal lawyer Rodrigo Danyau to Bored Panda.
“It was classified as a research-only drug by the United Nations in 1971, but its cultural connection to many South American indigenous cultures means it’s fully legal in some of those countries.”
Image credits: BBC News
One such country is Brazil, where ayahuasca is easily accessible via “spiritual healing” retreats and organizations.
Kat would eventually lose the ability to “do minimal things by herself,” according to associates, including showering or being in silence.
“There are some people that are born in this world that have no talents and some people that were born with all talents—I think that’s me,” the former model told the BBC.
"Not enough." Outraged, netizens took to social media to demand more prison time for the former model
