TikToker Marlena Velez arrested for ‘stealing 16 items from Target’ after cops used her own video against her
After being charged with ticket-switching at a Target self-checkout by scanning phony barcodes with cheaper pricing, a TIKTOK influencer was taken into custody.
Police in Cape Coral, Florida, detained Marlena Velez, who has over 300,000 followers on the social networking site, after using her own TikTok videos to identify her.
Cape Coral police were notified by Target’s loss prevention staff that on October 30, a young woman entered the store and used a fake barcode with a cheaper price to steal 16 goods at self-checkout.
According to authorities, the stolen goods, which included apparel and home items, were worth $500.32.
A picture of the suspect, a long-haired woman with tan T-shirt, tan jeans, and spectacles, was posted by Cape Coral police on social media.
The woman was identified as Velez, 22, by an anonymous caller who called the police and told them they had followed her on Instagram.
Read more in The U.S. Sun
Velez included a link to her TikTok page on her Instagram profile.
She uploads family-friendly vlogs and get-ready-with-me video on her TikTok channel.
After searching Velez’s TikTok account, authorities discovered a video of her getting dressed, going to Target on October 30 in the same tan suit, with glasses and a similar hairdo.
Velez, who has two children, also recorded herself selecting products from the store and putting them in her car’s trunk.
“She essentially incriminated herself,” a representative for Cape Coral told The Express Tribune.
“Social media gave us an unexpected lead, which expedited her identification and subsequent arrest.”
Walmart Self Checkout Woes
Velez was admitted to the Lee County jail after being charged with petty theft.
“Influencers ought to suffer the same penalties as everyone else. According to the police spokeswoman, “their public image does not exempt them from the law.”
TROUBLED TIKTOKER
According to the source, Velez was previously detained in 2019 on suspicion of motor theft.
In high school, Amanda Santana informed The Express Tribune that Velez had stolen and wrecked her vehicle.
She and I were in the same class at Ida Baker High School. I gave her my car keys because I trusted her so much,” Santana stated.
However, when she vanished with my car and then smashed it into a ditch close to a Dunkin’, that confidence was shattered.
She continued by stating that Velez never made amends for the harm done to her car. “It’s like she never felt any remorse,” she said.
The problematic TikToker was caught once more for theft at a Walmart in Cape Coral in July 2023.
Velez was caught on camera stealing almost $63 worth of kitchenware by under-ringing items at the self-checkout.
Read More on The US Sun
The Express Tribune reports that in April 2024, she entered a plea of no guilty to the accusations.
“She’s been living recklessly, flaunting a lifestyle that doesn’t match her actions,” Santana said.
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