Marlena Velez, a Florida-based TikToker, was arrested after bragging about the goods she stole from her local Target in a TikTok video to her followers who surpassed 300,000.
The 22-year-old TikTok influencer is now facing petty theft charges, having stolen 16 items, which include household goods and clothes, valued at $500.32, according to police. Here is a breakdown of what happened.
Cape Coral’s Target fell victim to Velez
According to the Fort Myers News-Press, Velez stole more than $500 worth of goods from Cape Coral’s target on October 30. Target’s loss prevention team told the police that a shoplifter was caught in action on one of their cameras.
How she stole the goods
Turns out, Velez was caught on Cape Coral’s Target’s security cameras at a self-checkout register, where she scanned fake barcodes with lower prices for the items in their cart, rather than their actual barcodes and price, getting away with her theft then.
Velez’s TikTok
Velez took to TikTok to post about her daily life with her two children. On the day of the theft, she made a get-ready-with-me video, and the outfit and glasses she wore in the video matched those worn by the suspect in the security footage.
Cape Coral Police Department’s take
Cape Coral Police Department spokesperson Officer Riley Carter told the Express Tribune, “She essentially incriminated herself.” He also added, “Social media gave us an unexpected lead, which expedited her identification and subsequent arrest.”
Velez’s arrest
The 22-year-old TikToker has been arrested on Thursday and was charged with one count of petty theft of more than $100, less than $750. This wasn’t her first encounter with the police as this crime shed light on her past criminal history.
Her past criminal history
Velez is no stranger to crime as she was arrested in 2019 when she was 17 for grand theft auto. She stole her friend’s car and ended up crashing it. Velez’s friend, Amanda Santana, recounted the events to NBC 2.
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The grand theft auto
Velez and Santana were friends at Ida Baker High School. Velez asked Santana for her car keys to sit in her car during class until lunchtime, to which Santana agreed. The plot twist came when Santana went to the parking lot, and her car and Velez were nowhere in sight.
Velez never showed remorse
Santana and authorities came to the conclusion that she went and crashed Santana’s car “and totaled it into a ditch at a Dunkin’ on Cape Coral Parkway.” Santana claims that Velez never paid for any of the damages, not showing remorse to Santana.
Not her first time to shoplift
Velez shoplifted Cape Coral’s Walmart and was arrested in July 2023. According to NBC 2, she under-scanned items by scanning one item and putting another underneath it. She stole $63 worth of kitchen items and pleaded no contest to the charges last April. She was sentenced to complete an anti-theft course and serve six months of probation, with the probation ending last month.
No one is above the law
The Cape Coral Police Department made it clear that Velez’s social media following won’t protect her from facing consequences for her actions if found guilty. “Influencers should face the same consequences as anyone else,” Officer Carter told the Express Tribune. He continued, saying: “Their public image doesn’t exempt them from the law.”
