Are these real photos of OnlyFans model and social media influencer Maria Julissa and Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader killed by the Mexican Army? No, that's not true: On her Instagram account, Maria Julissa said, "The information circulating is false and unfounded." Also, an AI detection tool said the images were edited or generated with Google AI.
The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X on Feb. 24, 2026. The text in the post read:
🚨🇲🇽 BREAKING 🚨
New evidence is emerging around well known influencer and OnlyFans star Maria Julissa.
Reports point to an alleged connection and betrayal linked to the drug trade and the now deceased cartel boss known as El Mencho.
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Image Source: Lead Stories screenshots of X post.)
"El Mencho"
Oseguera Cervantes died on Feb. 22, 2026, in a raid by the Mexican military in western Jalisco state, about 330 miles west-northwest of Mexico City. He headed Mexico's most-powerful drug gang, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which goes by the Spanish acronym CJNG.
Maria Julissa's social media
In a post (archived here) on Instagram on Feb. 23, 2026, Maria Julissa wrote (translated from Spanish by DeepL) this caption:
WARNING 🚨 DON'T FALL FOR SENSATIONALIST WEBSITES! ❌ IT'S ALL COMPLETELY FALSE.
This is what the post looked like on Instagram at the time of writing:
(Image Source: Lead Stories screenshot of Instagram post.)
Lead Stories also translated the post's text. It read:
I want to take a moment to clarify a situation that I think is important to address directly and transparently.
In recent days, I have seen information circulating on social media that implicates me in what is currently happening in Mexico. I want to make it absolutely clear: I have nothing to do with that situation.
The information circulating is false and unfounded. I ask that you do not share unverified content and that you do not take any posts you see on social media as true. Misinformation can cause a lot of damage.
I am grateful to those who have taken the time to ask me directly and to those who have offered me their support.
I ask that you do not fall for fake news and that you always consult reliable and official sources.
Thank you for your understanding.
AI detection
Lead Stories also ran each image through Gemini, Google's AI assistant, to analyze whether they were AI-generated:
First image
(Image Source: Lead Stories screenshot of X post.)
For the first image, Gemini came up with these conclusions (archived here):
All or part of this image was generated or edited with Google AI.
In addition to this digital watermark, a visual analysis of the image reveals several elements that are common in AI-generated or heavily edited content. For example, the lighting on the subjects' faces seems slightly inconsistent with the dim, multi-colored club background, and the textures on the skin and hair appear unusually smooth in some areas.
Second image
(Image Source: Lead Stories screenshot of X post.)
For the second image, Gemini came up with these conclusions (archived here):
Testing on this image indicates that most or all of it was edited or generated with Google AI.
Visually, the image contains several elements that suggest it may be synthetic. The woman's face has a very smooth, airbrushed quality, and her hair has unusual green highlights that appear somewhat unnatural. Additionally, the text 'CJNG' on the tactical vest is remarkably clear and centered, which is often a sign of AI generation, as text in real-world photos typically shows more perspective distortion or lighting variations.
