TikToker Marlena Velez Arrested for Second Target Theft

On By Littum

A TikTok influencer accused of displaying items stolen from a Florida Target has been arrested a second time for allegedly stealing multiple items from the same store.

Marlena Velez, 22, made headlines last month after she was arrested for allegedly stealing 16 items worth more than $500 from the Target store in Cape Coral — identified in part from TikTok videos she shared that day for his nearly 400,000 followers.

Marlena Velez, 22, is charged with petit larceny for allegedly stealing more than $500 from the Target store in Cape Coral on Oct. 30.
Velez, who posts videos about her life as a mother of two on TikTok, was identified as the shoplifter by an anonymous caller who claimed to be one of her followers, police said.

She now faces additional theft charges after she was arrested on Saturday for stealing from the same store on November 20. according to NBC 2.

Police said Velez used a fake barcode to scan items at the self-checkout, pocketing 16 household items and clothing worth $225.

This is her second shoplifting arrest at the same target. Cape Coral Police Department

She was identified as the shoplifter through surveillance footage and her phone’s wallpaper, which matched a photo from her Instagram account, according to police.

Investigators also said a man with a distinctive arm tattoo who appears in some of Velez’s TikTok videos was also present during the theft.

Police said Velez used a fake barcode to scan items at the self-checkout. Cape Coral Police Department

At the time of her initial arrest, Velez had been tied to the crime through security footage and videos posted to her TikTok account showing a Get Ready With Me video from the day of the alleged shoplifting that showed her wearing the same outfit and glasses the shoplifter was seen wearing.

The since-deleted TikTok video also showed her documenting picking out items inside the target and placing them in her car afterwards.

TikTokker’s crime also showed her past criminal history.
The since-deleted video also showed her documenting picking out items inside the target and placing them in her car afterwards.

TikToker has a long criminal history, including in 2019 when she was arrested at just 17 on grand theft charges for stealing her friend’s car and crashing it.

Velez was also arrested in July 2023 for shoplifting at a Walmart in Cape Coral.