A TikTok influencer was arrested after police say she showed off stolen goods to her 360,000 followers

• A TikTok influencer was arrested following an incident in which $500 worth of merchandise was stolen from Target.

• Police say they identified Marlena Velez, who has more than 360,000 TikTok followers, through a video she posted.

• The video showed her at Target wearing the same outfit seen in the security footage, police said.

A TikTok influencer with over 360,000 followers posting aspirational videos of her life as stay at home mom was arrested after police accused her of stealing about $500 worth of items Goal.

That’s what the authorities said the mother fluencer later posted a video of the ‘shopping’ to her followers, which they said helped identify her.

According to a press release Cape Coral, Florida police responded last Wednesday to a report of a theft at a Target store in Cape Coral that occurred on October 30.

Target’s loss prevention team said an unknown woman entered the store, selected items and scanned fake barcodes with lower prices instead of the items’ actual barcodes at a self-checkout.

Police said the woman stole 16 items, including household items and clothing, worth $500.32.

Cape Coral police shared photos of the woman on social media to help identify her.

According to the press statement, an anonymous tip received in response to the photos provided officers with information about the 22-year-old social media influencer Marlena Velez and sent them to her Instagram handle.

It said officers then found Velez’s TikTok account, which contained a video of Velez wearing the same outfit and glasses as the woman in the photos.

In the video, which is no longer available on her TikTok account, police said Velez went there Goalselecting items and loading them into her car before she leaves.

Mercedes Phillips, spokeswoman for the Cape Coral Police Department, said in a subsequent video: “Everything was documented, even the outfit she wore.”

Phillips added: “It shows her getting ready with the outfit, and even her glasses, and that all matches up in her TikTok with the attempted identification of the photo we published.”

Velez did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Lee County Sheriff Office records show a woman identified as Marlena Valez, with a different spelling but the same date of birth, was booked last Thursday morning.

Records show she was released later that day on a $150 cash bond.

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