TikTok Theft Brag Backfires: Influencer Arrested Live

Florida(The Utta Hindu): A Florida TikTok influencer has been arrested after flaunting pilfered merchandise in her videos. Marlena Velez, 22, was charged with petit theft for allegedly stealing items worth more than $500 from a Target store in Cape Coral on October 30, according to the Fort Myers News-Press.Velez, who has over 300,000 followers on TikTok, is charged with stealing 16 items including household goods and apparel worth $500.32. The Cape Coral Police Department told that the Target loss prevention team gave police a call about a shoplifter who was using a counterfeit barcode at a self-checkout to ring up merchandise at a lower rate.

Police distributed a photo of the suspect through their social media after viewing footage from the target store. An anonymous tip came in stating the individual was one of Velez's Instagram followers, and she was linked to her TikTok profile.In the TikTok videos, Velez wore the same outfit and glasses that were captured in the Target security footage. A now-deleted "Get Ready With Me" (GRWM) video showed her filming a shopping trip to Target and putting her "buys" in her car. "She essentially incriminated herself," said Officer Riley Carter, spokesman for the Cape Coral Police Department, in a statement to The Express Tribune. "Social media gave us an unexpected tip that assisted in her quick identification and eventual arrest," Carter added.

On Thursday, Velez was charged with one count of petty theft for stealing goods valued between $100 and $750. Authorities also uncovered her previous criminal record following her arrest.