A Florida TikTok influencer has been arrested after flaunting stolen items in her movies. Marlena Velez, 22, was charged with petty theft for allegedly shoplifting gadgets price over $500 from a Goal retailer in Cape Coral on October 30, in keeping with the Fort Myers Information-Press.
Velez, who has greater than 300,000 followers on TikTok, is accused of stealing 16 gadgets, together with family items and clothes, valued at $500.32. The Cape Coral Police Division said that Goal’s loss prevention staff alerted authorities to a shoplifter utilizing a pretend barcode at a self-checkout to scan gadgets at diminished costs.
After reviewing safety footage from the shop, police shared a picture of the suspect on their social media accounts. A tip from an nameless caller, claiming to be one in all Velez’s followers, led authorities to her Instagram account, which linked to her TikTok profile.
Policia🇺🇲 apresa a influencer latina marialena velez, por robar la mercancía de las tiendas y con los productos robados hacia sus movies 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
In accordance with Fox 4 Now, one in all Marlena Velez’s TikTok movies featured her sporting the identical outfit and glasses seen within the Goal safety footage. The now-deleted “Get Prepared With Me” (GRWM) video confirmed her documenting a purchasing journey at Goal and loading her “purchases” into her automobile.
“She basically incriminated herself,” mentioned Officer Riley Carter, spokesperson for the Cape Coral Police Division, in a press release to The Specific Tribune.
“Social media offered us with an sudden lead, which sped up her identification and subsequent arrest,” Carter added.
On Thursday, Velez was charged one rely of petit theft for stealing items between $100 and $750. Authorities additionally found her prior felony document following her arrest.