CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WFTX) — Remember the Cape Coral social media influencer who was accused of stealing from Target on Oct. 30 and then posted the stolen items on TikTok? Police say she did it again at the same store.
Cape Coral Police received a report of someone stealing from Target on Pine Island Road on Saturday, November 30th. However, police said the crime is said to have occurred on November 20th.
Loss prevention staff told police a “known repeat suspect” entered the store and stole merchandise for sale. They identified the suspect as Marlena Velez.
Police said Velez did not scan the items at the self-checkout register and instead scanned a fake barcode instead of the item’s tag.
Police say she stole 16 items, including household goods and clothing, valued at about $225.
Police said they recognized her in the video because they said she had done something similar before. They also noticed that the wallpaper photo on Berreth’s phone was the same one posted on her Instagram account with her family.
She was not alone in the reported crimes. Police say there was a man there with a distinct tattoo that matched the man in her TikTok video. Detectives said she also had her children with her. Police arrested her on Nov. 30 on petty theft charges, and court records show she entered into the relationship the next day.
This is not the first time Velez has been arrested for this crime.
Police said he did the same thing at the same store on October 30th. In this case, police say they did not scan the barcode and used a cheaper fake. Police say she stole 16 items, including household goods and clothing, valued at about $500.
A video posted to Berreth’s TikTok account records herself preparing to leave her home on Oct. 30, wearing what police say she was seen wearing on surveillance video. He was wearing the same clothes and glasses.
Police were called to the crime on Nov. 20, when a second theft allegedly occurred that same day.
In the video, which has been viewed more than 150,000 times, Berreth is seen documenting a trip to TJ Maxx and Target.
After exiting both stores, Velez records himself selecting items and placing them in his car.
She was arrested on suspicion of petty theft and released on Nov. 21, the day after her initial arrest, according to court records.
Five days ago, Velez posted a video with the caption, “There will come a time to talk about my wrongdoing, but now is not the time and I don’t want to talk about it or take responsibility for my actions.” It doesn’t mean anything,” it says. I mean, everything is still being dealt with in court, so I just ask that you respect that. ”
She blocked comments on the post.
Velez was arrested in July 2023 on suspicion of petty theft. According to court records, she was at the Cape Coral Walmart and hid the items under the merchandise, intending to scan them instead. She did this several times, according to the report.
She pleaded guilty in April 2024 and was sentenced to one month of probation, which expired on October 14. She was arrested 16 days later on suspicion of theft, police said.
The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.
