Influencer Arrested After Showing Off $500 Worth of Stolen Items in Video

Florida-based TikTok influencer Marlena Velez, 22 years old, was arrested on charges of petty theft after she posted several videos that indicated she owned stolen goods. Marlena Velez boasts over 300,000 followers on TikTok and is charged with stealing from the Cape Coral Target on October 30. She is accused of shoplifting clothes and household items worth $500.32, according to the Cape Coral Police.

Caught Scanning Fake Barcodes

Her arrest came after Target's loss prevention team had noticed her scanning barcodes from items at a self-checkout, which looked fake. She was then alerted to the police, who reviewed security footage. A photo of the suspect was put out on social media, and she got an anonymous tip through it. Her identity was identified from among Velez's Instagram followers—an anonymous call in and pointing to her TikTok account.

Incriminating Video on TikTok

In a now-deleted video shot by her inside Target, she was shopping and packing "her purchases" into her car. This time, however, she was wearing the same clothes with glasses that appeared on security cameras at that Target store. In fact, her video was part of a "Get Ready With Me" (GRWM) series and the theft unintentionally revealed her identity.

Policia🇺🇲 apresa a influencer latina marialena velez, por robar la mercancía de las tiendas y con los productos robados hacia sus videos de tik tok, "acompaña me a alistarme" la influencer qué tiene más de 300mil seguidores, sin saberlo se incrimino de los robos porque todas las… pic.twitter.com/E3n3f6UDDC

— Edwardacosta (@Edwarda77427936) November 24, 2024

Past Criminal History Revealed

After her arrest, it was revealed that Velez had a criminal past. Back in 2019, she was arrested for grand theft auto after stealing and crashing a friend's car. Velez now faces a charge of petty theft for stealing goods valued between $100 and $750.