Who is Leo Severino? Grooming allegations go viral in wake of Sound of Freedom controversy

Publish date: 2024-05-18

Grooming allegations against Leo Severino, the 52-year-old executive producer of the movie Sound of Freedom recently made rounds on social media. They started with TikTok creator @thatdaneshguy sharing a video on July 22, claiming that he has some tea on the controversial film.

Danesh claimed to know Leo, adding that it was the first time he witnessed grooming. He claimed that he knows about the executive producer being a groomer because he attended the same high school as Leo’s wife while he was grooming her. The TikToker then shared a yearbook picture where he pointed at Leo’s wife, Jackie, and then pointed at himself in the picture.

@thatdaneshguy claimed that Jackie’s boyfriend at the time was a friend of his and all three of them went to the same high school. Jackie and her boyfriend were Catholic and supposedly went to a youth counselor (Leo Severino) whom they had known since they were “young teens.”

The TikToker stated that by the end of high school, Jackie allegedly broke up with her boyfriend and started dating her youth counselor Severino, who had been guiding her throughout her teens. Leo was apparently in his thirties at the time.

Leo Severino started his career as a lawyer

After graduating from the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law in 1999, Leo Severino started his career as a lawyer at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, one of the largest law firms in the world. He worked at the company’s London and Los Angeles offices.

Leo found a better opportunity at the Latin American Corporate Transactions department of the firm. However, having his heart set on the Hollywood entertainment industry since his 1997 internship at 20th Century Fox, Leo switched to entertainment law after working at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher for a little over 24 months.

Leo Severino. (Image via Facebook/St. Therese Roman Catholic Church)

In 2001, Leo Severino joined the Fox Networks Group as the Director of Business Affairs. He worked there for three years and handled the national programming division.

In 2004, he met Eduardo Verástegui, which led to his departure from the Fox Networks Group. He joined Eduardo’s production company Metanoia Films as a partner and producer and managed business affairs.

As per IMDb, Leo Severino has worked as a producer for This Is The Year (2020), Little Boy (2015), Bella (2006), and a few other short films. He was also a writer for the film Bella. He also wrote a book called Going Deeper: A Reasoned Exploration of God and Truth.

Leo built Manto de Guadalupe, a non-profit organization in 2007, with the aim of helping those who do not have shelter or food, nor access to education and health care. In 2016, he was given an Honorary Doctorate Degree by a number of international organizations for his humanitarian contributions and leadership.

Internet reacts to grooming allegations against Leo Severino

Danesh's allegsations about Leo Severino grooming his wife when she was a teen quickly went viral on both TikTok and Twitter. Some people wrote in the comments that how they had also known youth pastors who groomed young girls.

A few people noted how it was ironic that the executive producer of Sound of Freedom, a film that shows the battle against child trafficking, has been accused of being a groomer himself:

Netizens react to grooming allegations against Sound of Freedom's executive producer. (Image via TikTok/@thatdaneshguy)
Netizens react to grooming allegations against Sound of Freedom's executive producer. (Image via TikTok/@thatdaneshguy)
Netizens react to grooming allegations against Sound of Freedom's executive producer. (Image via TikTok/@thatdaneshguy)
Netizens react to grooming allegations against Sound of Freedom's executive producer. (Image via TikTok/@thatdaneshguy)
Netizens react to grooming allegations against Sound of Freedom's executive producer. (Image via TikTok/@thatdaneshguy)
Netizens react to grooming allegations against Sound of Freedom's executive producer. (Image via TikTok/@thatdaneshguy)
Netizens react to grooming allegations against Sound of Freedom's executive producer. (Image via TikTok/@thatdaneshguy)
Netizens react to grooming allegations against Sound of Freedom's executive producer. (Image via TikTok/@thatdaneshguy)

Danesh also shared a screenshot of a Facebook post by Jacque Severino, Leo's wife. The post is from November 2013 and features a photo of the couple sharing a kiss during what appeared to be their wedding.

Jacque wrote a lengthy caption where she shared that she was at a crossroads and was forced to choose between her high school boyfriend and being courted by her best friend (referring to Leo). Danesh claimed that it was weird for Jackie to call Leo her best friend, a man who was her youth counselor and was about 15 years older than her.

The TikToker further alleged that Leo Severino was in a position of power with Jackie while she was a child. The executive producer has not responded to these allegations as of yet.

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