Unwanted bravado just to create a sensation can often land a person in serious problems, and this truth finally dawned upon TikTok influencer Marlena Velez, 22, who goes by the TikTok handle @marlenavelezz.
Not only did she commit a criminal act, but she also chronicled it in her videos. She has been charged by police for her illegal acts and will soon face the consequences of her deeds.
A Florida-based TikTok influencer, Marlena Velez, 22, was arrested after she showed off in her video how she stole goods worth over $500 from her local Target store in Cape Coral on October 30.
The TikToker, who has a following of over 300k, shoplifted 16 items, including daily household goods and clothes, valued at $500.32.
Marlena Velez, a 22 year old TikTok influencer, was arrested a second time after already being caught using fake bar codes on items at Target. pic.twitter.com/AfrBLmTuNr
— TaraBull (@TaraBull808) November 23, 2024
The retail chain’s loss prevention team grew suspicious after they caught a shoplifter scanning a fake barcode that listed lower prices for the items in their cart at the self-service checkout register and notified the police.
The police, after reviewing the security camera footage and finding it accurate, released the picture of the suspect, who was later identified as Velez by the department’s social media account.
Later, an unnamed caller who said he was one of Velez’s followers informed the police about her Instagram handle, which was linked to her TikTok handle.
On the platform, Velez, who is a mother of two, can be seen wearing the same clothes and glasses that the suspect in the Target security footage was also wearing.
Furthermore, Velez, in a GRWM (Get Ready With Me) video titled ‘Day in the life as a mom,’ detailed herself buying essentials at the Target retail store and then loading them into her car. The video has since been deleted.
Cape Coral Police Department spokesperson Officer Riley Carter told media outlet The Express Tribune:
“She essentially incriminated herself. Social media gave us an unexpected lead, which expedited her identification and subsequent arrest.”
After her arrest on Thursday, Velez has been indicted for petit theft of more than $100 but less than $750. Checking her background history, police learned that she had a past criminal record. Velez was arrested in 2019 when she was only 17 for stealing her friend’s car and then crashing it.
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