After posting a video of what police claimed was a haul of stolen Target items, a Florida TikTok influencer was detained once more and charged with shoplifting from the same store in at least one additional incident, according to the police.
Police in Cape Coral, which is roughly 130 miles south of Tampa, said in a statement Monday that Marlena Velez, 22, was taken into custody on suspicion of petty theft, a misdemeanor. A time code on a police-posted Facebook video of her detention reveals Velez was arrested on Saturday.
According to the Cape Coral Police Department, “Officers were able to positively identify Marlena Velez because they recognized her from a previous arrest.”
It was unclear if Velez, who gained 360,000 TikTok followers by posting videos about her experiences with parenting two kids, had legal representation in each case. An inquiry Monday night was not immediately answered by the 20th Judicial Circuit public defender’s office in Florida.
According to jail records from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Velez was most recently booked on Saturday afternoon and secured a $500 bond on Sunday afternoon to be released. The same court date as her most recent arrest—December 10—is included in the documents.
According to Cape Coral police, Velez was first apprehended after being located by authorities using social media detective work and tips.
Reduce the target loss. According to police, staff contacted to report a theft that occurred on October 30 and provided investigators with video of a lady they suspected of taking. According to the police, Velez paid less for apparel and home items totaling $500.32.
Velez was discovered by police wearing the identical outfit in a TikTok post from the day of the heist. Additionally, they said that she displayed some of the illicitly obtained goods on the platform.
According to police, Velez was captured on surveillance cameras saying, “Lesson learned,” while she was incarcerated following that arrest. Velez acknowledged that the individual on the CCTV footage was her, but she told police she didn’t remember stealing from the store.
Velez’s second arrest was announced by the police department on Monday. Target loss-prevention employees said that the same woman had committed the same crime on November 20.
According to investigators, Velez selected things from the store in both instances, but she scanned bar codes for cheaper prices when she arrived at a self-checkout machine.
According to authorities, 16 articles valued at $225 that were characterized as various household goods and clothing were involved in the most recent suspected crime.
According to the police, they were also able to identify the suspect in the most recent crime by using security photos of her in the store with her phone, which had a picture of her family as the background, and a picture that was uploaded to her Instagram account.
They also said that one of the men she was with had a unique tattoo that resembled the design of a tattoo that was visible on Velez’s TikTok account.
If prosecutors proceed and are successful, the Florida petty theft offense alone carries a potential sentence of 60 days in prison. However, under Florida law, Velez could receive a maximum sentence of one year in prison if she is prosecuted and found guilty in both counts consecutively.
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