A glamorous influencer has been arrested for shoplifting at a Target after showing off the goods in a video on TikTok.
Marlena Velez, 22, who has nearly 300,000 followers on the video-sharing app where she posts videos about her life as a mother of two, is facing petit larceny charges for allegedly stealing more than $500 from the Target store store in Cape Coral, Florida on October 30.
Local police said they were called to the store last Wednesday for a report of a shoplifting incident, and when officers arrived on scene, loss prevention staff told them that an unknown woman had entered the store and selected a number of items.
Once she got to the self-checkout register, loss prevention staff said, the suspect scanned a fake barcode showing cheaper prices. the Fort Myers News-Press reports.
In total, police say Velez stole 16 items, including household items and clothing, valued at $500.32.
As part of a subsequent investigation, police posted a photo of the suspect captured from surveillance footage, showing her wearing glasses, with long black hair, a tan shirt and tan pants.
Soon, Cape Coral police received an anonymous call from one of Velez’s followers, identifying her as a suspect, police said.
The anonymous caller also provided officers with her Instagram account, and from there police were able to intercept her TikTok page.
Marlena Velez, 22, who has nearly 300,000 followers on TikTok, was arrested last week for shoplifting from a Target in Cape Coral, Florida
Her TikTok page featured a “get ready with me” video from the day of the alleged shoplifting incident, showing her in the same outfit while going to Target and TJ Maxx, Fox 4 Now reports.
She then documented herself choosing items in the store and then placing them in her car in the since-deleted video.
“She basically incriminated herself,” said CCPD spokesperson Riley Carter told the Express Tribune.
Velez was eventually taken into custody Thursday and charged with petit larceny over $100, under $750.
She also deactivated her TikTok account, but has since reactivated it and disabled the comments. according to Hollywood Unlocked.
Velez’s stunning arrest later brought renewed attention to her previous criminal history.
Velez was first arrested for car theft in 2019 at the age of 17 when she stole her friend Amanda Santana’s car and crashed it.
“She took a class from me at Ida Baker High School and we hit it off,” Santana told NBC 2.
Loss prevention officers at the store captured her on surveillance footage scanning a fake barcode on items during a Target run on Oct. 30
She posted a video on TikTok of herself selecting items from the store that day
She explained that one day Velez asked her to sit in her car during class until lunchtime, and Santana confided in her good friend and handed her the keys.
When Santana later returned to the parking lot, she said she couldn’t find her car.
‘I went to the parking lot and looked for my car, but I couldn’t find it, so I checked again, looked in all directions and thought, “Where’s my car?”
A few hours later, Santana said she heard her friend had driven her vehicle into a ditch near a Dunkin’ Donuts.
She claims Velez never paid for the damages.
“It’s like she never had any regrets,” Santana said.
Velez was also arrested in July 2023 for shoplifting at a Walmart in Cape Coral.
According to NBC 2, a report from the store said the store placed items under the ring “by scanning one item and then placing another item under the scanned item.”
Velez was taken into custody Thursday and charged with petit larceny over $100, under $750
Now Santana says no one should believe Velez can maintain the lifestyle she portrays on social media.
She ultimately stole $63 worth of kitchen items and pleaded no contest to the charges last April.
Velez was ordered to complete an anti-theft course and serve six months of probation, which expired last month.
“She lives recklessly and flaunts a lifestyle that does not reflect her actions,” she said.
However, Officer Carter said Velez will appear in court for her alleged actions.
“Influencers should face the same consequences as anyone else,” the spokesperson said. “Their public image does not exempt them from the law.”