According to Sunshine State police, a Florida lady was taken into custody this week after stealing several hundred dollars’ worth of products from Target and then sharing her loot on social media.
22-year-old Marlena Valez is charged with a single count of misdemeanor petit theft exceeding $100 but under $750.
The incident happened on October 30 inside a Target store in Cape Coral, a sizable city in southwest Florida that is located along the Gulf of Mexico.
According to the police, loss prevention staff noticed the woman, who was later identified as Valez, walking into the business and making what appeared to be a routine purchase. When it came time to make the payment, that supposedly changed.
According to a press statement from the Cape Coral Police Department, the female suspect scanned a fake barcode with lower prices at the self-checkout register rather than the actual barcodes of the merchandise. Sixteen pieces of clothing and other home things were taken. The products that were taken were worth $500.32 in total. Officers used Target’s security cameras to confirm this.
In an attempt to identify the suspected thief, law enforcement then shared pictures of her on Facebook and Instagram that were taken from the big box retailer’s CCTV camera.
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According to the police, that initiative produced results swiftly.
According to the press release, an anonymous caller who spotted the social media post provided a potential identity for the culprit. Officers were also given Marlena’s Instagram handle by the unidentified caller.
A TikTok post by the defendant purportedly showing her leaving Target with the allegedly stolen things was the next thing authorities spotted, which they say was even more egregious than the original robbery.
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The press release goes on to say that Marlena records herself selecting products inside the store and loading them into her car after leaving. Marlena has about 300,000 followers and seems to be a content generator.
According to police, Valez’s attire and eyewear in the TikTok video were identical to those of the woman in the Target security film.
She posted a video that day of herself going to Target, buying these items, and then taking them home with her, Cape Coral Police Public Information Officer Mercedes Simonds said. Everything was recorded.
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Ina video produced by the police department, clips from a TikTok video purport to show the defendant shopping for an assortment of kitchen goods and a box of disposable diapers which she then loads into the trunk of her vehicle.
Valez was arrested on Thursday and released a few hours later on $150 cash bond.
On December 10, she is scheduled to appear in court.
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