Influencer Arrested After Posting TikTok Video With Stolen Goods
A mom vlogger was arrested for shoplifting after she allegedly posted a TikTok video featuring a haul of her stolen items.
Influencer Marlena Velez is facing petty theft charges for allegedly stealing over $500 worth of goods from the Target store in Cape Coral, Florida.
The 22-year-old content creator, who posts videos about her life as a mom of two kids on TikTok, then allegedly showed off the stolen items in a TikTok video posted to her 364,000 followers.
According to Cape Coral Police Department, Velez picked up 16 items, including household goods and clothes, valued at $500.32 at the Target Store.
But instead of scanning those items, the social media star then scanned false barcodes of different, cheaper items at the self-checkout register.
After Target reported the theft, Cape Coral Police released the store’s security footage of the suspect on the department’s social media account in hopes the public could identify her.
Velez was identified as the shoplifter after police received an anonymous tip from a caller claiming to be one of her social media followers. The anonymous caller also provided officers with her name, birthday, and Instagram handle, which had a link to Velez’s TikTok account.
Investigators say they matched Target’s security footage of Velez with her outfits and activities in a now-deleted TikTok video that she posted on the same day as the theft.
In the TikTok video, clips of which were shared by Cape Carol Police, Velez is seen picking up several items, including a Stanley mug, a mini cosmetics bag, and a milk-and-cookies set. She then films herself filling up her trunk with several Target shopping bags.
The influencer’s video had over 150,000 views on TikTok before it was deleted from the platform, according to Fox 4 Now.
“She essentially incriminated herself,” Cape Coral Police Department spokesperson Officer Riley Carter tells The Express Tribune.
“Social media gave us an unexpected lead, which expedited her identification and subsequent arrest.”
Velez was arrested Thursday and charged with one count of petit theft of more than $100, less than $750. Velez was reportedly released on a $150 bail and is scheduled to appear in court on December 10.
Image credits: All photos via Cape Coral Police Department and TikTok.
