Marlena Velez, a 22-year-old TikTok influencer with 300,000 followers, was arrested for theft at a Target store in Cape Coral, Florida, after attempting to steal $500 worth of merchandise by using fake barcodes at self-checkout on October 30.
She filmed part of the theft for her social media, which led to her identification by Target’s Loss Prevention team through security footage.
Following the release of her photo by the Cape Coral Police Department, an anonymous tip connected her to her Instagram account.
Velez was arrested and taken to Lee County Jail on petit theft charges.
Afterward, she reactivated her TikTok account but disabled the comments section.
@abc7la A 22-year-old #TikToker with nearly 300,000 followers has been arrested after the #influencer used fake barcodes to steal from #Target ♬ original sound – ABC7LA