Influencer arrested for theft after posting video wearing same outfit as suspect

TikTok influencer Marlena Velez, 22, was arrested for allegedly stealing merchandise worth over $500 from a Target store in Cape Coral, Florida, after posting a video on her TikTok account wearing the same outfit as the suspect captured on security footage. According to the New York Post, Velez was charged with theft for shoplifting 16 items from the Target.

The Cape Coral Police Department (CCPD) stated that Velez used fake barcodes at the self-checkout to scan items at reduced prices. "She essentially incriminated herself," Officer Riley Carter of the CCPD said.

The police received an anonymous tip via Instagram after posting images of the suspect captured on the store's security cameras, which led them to Velez's TikTok and Instagram accounts.

Upon reviewing her social media profiles, officers found a TikTok video where Velez documented her shopping trip to Target on October 30, wearing the same outfit and glasses as the suspect in the surveillance footage. The video, titled "Day in the life as a mom," showed Velez picking out items inside the store and placing them in her car after exiting the store, according to The Independent. However, the video did not show Velez using false barcodes or how she paid for the items, as noted by Newsweek.

"A person contacted us via Instagram and said: 'Hey, I want to remain anonymous, but here is her name, her date of birth, and her Instagram account.' So from there, we were able to look up her social media and even find out who she was," Mercedes Philips, a local police officer, stated. The CCPD emphasized that Velez's social media popularity would not protect her from legal consequences. "Influencers should face the same consequences as anyone else. Their public image does not exempt them from the law," Officer Carter said.

Velez was booked into Lee County Jail on Thursday night before being released later that day on a $150 cash bond, according to booking records cited by The Independent. She is scheduled to appear in court on December 10.

This is not the first time Velez has faced legal issues. In July 2023, she was arrested for theft at a Walmart, where she altered prices at the self-checkout to steal approximately $63 worth of products, using a tactic similar to the one employed at Target. After her previous shoplifting arrest, Velez had to complete an anti-theft course and was under probation for six months, which ended last month.

In 2019, at the age of 17, Velez was arrested for grand theft auto after she stole and crashed a car belonging to her high school friend, Amanda Santana. Santana recounted how she had trusted Velez by allowing her to use her vehicle during lunch but, upon returning, discovered the car was missing. "I went to the parking lot, and I'm looking around for my car, and I can't find it, so I actually, like double-checked, looked on every side, and I was like, where is my car?" Santana told NBC 2. Hours later, the vehicle was found in a ditch near a Dunkin' Donuts. Santana added that Velez has not yet paid restitution for the accident and never took responsibility for the damages caused.

"She's been living recklessly, flaunting a lifestyle that doesn't match her actions," Santana stated. "It's like she never felt remorse," Santana added, according to the New York Post.

Following the arrest, Velez deleted the video from her TikTok but has further disabled comments on her posts, as noted by Vice News.

A social media post created by Cape Coral police shows excerpts from Velez's TikTok video.

Target has been struggling to deal with shoplifting at its stores. In 2023, the retailer closed nine stores, from New York City to Seattle, Washington, as a response to theft and organized retail crime, according to Newsweek.

"[We] cannot continue operating these stores because theft and organized retail crime are threatening the safety of our team and guests, and contributing to unsustainable business performance," Target said in a statement at the time..

The Cape Coral Police Department acknowledged the role of social media in solving the case. "Social media gave us a lead that helped us identify and subsequently arrest her," Officer Carter said.

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq