Who is Marlena Velez? TikToker gets probation for Target shoplifting spree

Marlena Velez is a TikTok star and Instagram influencer with over 462,000 followers on TikTok and 15.2k followers on Instagram. She creates content around lifestyle and wellness and often posts pictures of herself and her family.

The 22-year-old was sentenced to 12 months of probation on March 13. She pleaded no contest to two shoplifting charges. This news caused a buzz on social media. She has viral videos and a massive following.

The charges were made after she was caught shoplifting at the Target store twice. She also went ahead and showed all the items she shoplifted on social media, probably as a shopping haul.

TikTok Star, Marlena Velez sentenced to probation for Target shoplifting spree

The case of Marlena's theft began on November 30, 2024, when the security from Target in Cape Coral, Florida, called the police to report theft. When the police went through the surveillance footage, they found that Marlena used fake barcodes.

Using the fake barcodes, she lowered the prices of sixteen household items at the self-checkout counter. These items were worth $225. Her social media pictures were a big help to the police.

They used her pictures on social media and her phone's wallpaper to match what they saw in the footage. When the police dug a little deeper, they came to know that this wasn't the first time she was caught shoplifting.

The influencer was arrested on November 20 for stealing items worth $500 from the same Target store. However, it is now known that Marlena Velez has a troubling criminal history. According to the police, she was first arrested when she was 17 for grand theft auto in 2019.

She betrayed her friend, Amanda Santana, by stealing and crashing her car. This is what Amanda had to say:

''She had a class with me at Ida Baker High School, and we clicked,” Santana recalled. “I trusted her so much that I handed over my car keys.''

She continued:

''But that trust was destroyed when she disappeared with my car and later crashed it into a ditch near a Dunkin.''

Santana also said that Marlena Velez never paid back for the damage she caused. Adding to this, Marlena was also caught shoplifting in Walmart in Cape Coral in July 2023. She was accused of stealing $63 worth of kitchen items, following which she pleaded no contest to the charges and served six months of probation.

These shoplifting incidents and showing off on social media have sparked debates online. Netizens urge that influencers should be held accountable for their problematic behaviors, often hidden under the facade of their glamorous lifestyle.