08/18/2026
Before her high-profile legal dispute and return to Kenya, Naserian Montet maintained a starkly dual lifestyle: she was a highly focused, elite academic and family breadwinner by day, and a prominent diaspora beauty queen and activist by night. Those who knew her in Utah and her home county of Narok, Kenya, described her as a traditionally sober, non-chaotic, and intensely ambitious individual.
Montet was born in Mara Empopongi, Nkoilale, located in the Narok West constituency of Kenya, and by 2016, Montet had relocated from Kenya to Utah for academic advancement. Over several years, she worked while successfully earning an Associate’s degree from Salt Lake Community College, followed by two Bachelor's degrees and a Master's degree from the University of Utah.
From the moment she arrived in the U.S., her stated life mission was to use her American education to protect young girls back home. Her lifestyle choices and studies focused heavily on ending early childhood marriages and Female Ge***al Mutilation (FGM) within her home community.
Before leaving Kenya, Montet was already in a long-term relationship with Mr. Leshinka. Once she established her life and studies in Utah, she acted as his primary sponsor.
While living and working in Utah, Montet managed to secure a pathway for her partner, Mr. Leshinka, to join her. Montet provided the necessary financial backing and logistical assistance to help Leshinka secure his passport and a U.S. visa in Kenya. This enabled him to legally travel from Kenya and relocate to Utah to live with her.
Leshinka did not independently establish a career path to the U.S.. His passport, visa logistics, and plane ticket from Kenya to Utah were completely funded by Montet using her earnings as an appraiser and academic.
Upon arriving in Utah, he lived with Montet in her Spanish Fork residence, where she acted as the primary financial breadwinner while continuing her master's studies.
In early 2025, severe domestic disagreements, between Montet and her partner Mr. Leshinka., escalated into a physical altercation inside Naserian Montet’s private residence located in Spanish Fork, Utah.
According to official U.S. police and court databases, Mr. Leshinka was beaten by Montet. The physical evidence evaluated by responding officers at the scene was substantial enough to secure an official criminal conviction for assault against Montet.
The conflict turned physical, leading to her arrest for assaulting him. She was subsequently held in custody in UtahMontet was involved in escalating domestic disagreements with her partner, identified as Mr. Leshinka. The conflict turned physical, leading to her arrest for assaulting him. She was subsequently held in custody in Utah.
While Montet was held in custody in Utah, reports from diaspora community members indicated that Leshinka did not visit her or offer support during her detention.
Upon being processed for a domestic assault charge, a standard criminal protective order was automatically issued by the court. The order legally barred Montet from visiting, calling, or staying at the shared Spanish Fork apartment with Mr. Leshinka.
Following her release, Montet never adhered to these court-mandated boundaries. By attempting to contact her partner or returning to the residence while the active restriction was in place, she committed a separate criminal offense. This second action is what led to her secondary, independent conviction for violation of a court order.
It was the combination of both convictions, the physical assault and her failure to respect the court's subsequent restrictions, that heavily escalated her legal profile, resulting in her being flagged by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
In late 2025, she was placed on the Trump administration's "Worst of the Worst" high-profile deportation list alongside 14 other Kenyan nationals. The DHS database listed her offenses as assault and the violation of a court order.
The incident surprised community members, as Montet was historically known as a sober and highly ambitious academic who had personally sponsored her partner's passport and visa to join her in the United States. Following the legal fallout, her partner reportedly deleted his social media presence, changed his phone number, and relocated to another U.S. state.
Naserian Montet remains documented on the active "Worst of the Worst" tracking database. Once the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) logs an individual's mugshot, criminal history, and final order of removal onto this public dashboard, the entry serves as a permanent historical record of immigration enforcement and deportation processing. Even if an individual has already exited the United States or settled their administrative docket, their profile is not erased from the published list.
