A TikTok influencer who puts forward a clean image to her 350K followers has been caught stealing from Target.
Videos by Wide Open Country
The lifestyle influencer, Marlena Velez, 22, shares videos of her and her family. She'll typically be seen recording putting groceries away, starting her day, or winding down in the evening. What she doesn't show, however, is her string of thievery.
According to Fort Myers News-Press, on October 30, CCTV footage from the Target in Cape Town, Florida, captured someone stealing. Last Wednesday, officers were called to the store. Loss prevention staff explained to the officers that the at-the-time unidentified woman had scanned false barcodes with lower prices at the self-checkout tills.
She had nicked 16 items, household goods and clothing. The total amount she stole was $500.32.
The department posted to their since-expired social media stories to help identify and locate the suspect. Someone called up and identified the suspect with the authorities. It was likely a follower of Velez's, as they also handed over her Instagram name. That's how they tracked down her TikTok.
Influencer Makes TikTok With Stolen Goods
When the police found Velez's TikTok, they promptly found a since-deleted video of her placing the soon-to-be-shoplifted goods into her shopping cart.
With the identification and the video highlighting the robbery, officers arrested the TikToker on Thursday.
According to the Express Tribune, Velez is facing petty theft charges and is booked in Lee County jail.
It's unknown what's in store for Velez next, especially considering her past criminal history.
The influencer was first arrested at 17 in 2019 for grand theft auto. She had stolen and crashed a friend's car. She was also arrested in July last year for shoplifting. Velez had to complete an anti-theft course and experienced 6 months of probation. Interestingly, that ended last month.
Velez has deleted the video from her TikTok, although she has further disabled comments on her posts. She had previously deactivated her page, although she has since reactivated it. It would seem she's trying to carry on without any more online incrimination.
