A stylish influencer has been arrested for shoplifting from a Target store after she flaunted the stolen items in a TikTok video. Marlena Velez, 22, who has nearly 300,000 followers on TikTok where she shares content about her life as a mother of two, is facing charges of petty theft for stealing over $500 from a Target store in Cape Coral, Florida, on October 30.
According to local authorities, they were called to the store last Wednesday to investigate a reported retail theft involving a woman. When officers arrived on the scene, the loss prevention staff informed them that an unidentified woman had entered the store and stolen several items.
Costly Mistake
According to loss prevention staff, when Velez reached the self-checkout register, she scanned a counterfeit barcode that showed lower prices, as reported by the Fort Myers News-Press.
Police said Velez stole a total of 16 items, including household goods and clothing, with a value of $500.32. As part of the investigation, authorities released a photo of the suspect taken from surveillance footage, showing a woman with glasses, long black hair, wearing a tan shirt and pants.
The Cape Coral Police Department soon received an anonymous tip from one of Velez's followers, who identified her as the thief. The caller also provided her Instagram handle, which allowed officers to track down her TikTok account.
Velez's TikTok page featured a "get ready with me" video from the day of the alleged shoplifting, in which she wore the same outfit and visited both Target and TJ Maxx, according to Fox 4 Now.
In the video, she can be seen selecting items in the store and later placing them in her car, before deleting the footage.
"She essentially incriminated herself," said CCPD spokesperson Officer Riley Carter, speaking to the Express Tribune.
Velez was arrested on Thursday and charged with one count of petty theft for stealing items worth between $100 and $750.
Bad Influence
Although Velez initially deactivated her TikTok account, she later reactivated it and disabled comments, as reported by Hollywood Unlocked. The arrest also brought renewed focus on her previous criminal record. Velez was first arrested at 17 in 2019 for grand theft auto after stealing her friend Amanda Santana's car and crashing it.
"She had a class with me at Ida Baker High School and we clicked," Santana recounted to NBC 2.
Santana explained that one day, Velez asked her to wait in her car during class until lunchtime. Trusting her close friend, Santana handed over the keys.
When Santana came back to the parking lot later, she discovered that her car was missing. "I went to the parking lot and I'm looking around for my car and I can't find it, so I actually, like, double-checked, looked on every side and I was like, 'Where is my car?'"
A few hours later, Santana learned that her friend had crashed the car into a ditch near a Dunkin' Donuts. She claims that Velez never paid for any of the damages.
"It's like she never felt any remorse," Santana said.
Velez was also arrested in July 2023 for shoplifting at a Walmart in Cape Coral. According to a report from the store, she used a method of under-ringing items by scanning one product and then placing another beneath it, as reported by NBC 2.
Now, Santana says that no one should believe Velez is able to maintain the lifestyle she showcases on social media.
