A Florida woman was arrested this week after stealing hundreds of dollars in merchandise from Target and then posting about it on social media, according to Sunshine State police.
Marlena Valez, 22, is charged with one count of petit theft in excess of $100 but less than $750, a misdemeanor.
The incident took place on October 30 at a Target in Cape Coral, a large city on the Gulf of Mexico in southwest Florida.
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Police say loss prevention employees noticed the woman, later identified as Valez, entering the store and shopping in seemingly normal fashion. That allegedly changed when it was time to pay.
“Once at the self-checkout register, the female suspect did not scan the items’ barcodes, instead scanning a false barcode with cheaper prices,” the Cape Coral Police Department stated in a press release. “Sixteen pieces of miscellaneous household goods and clothing were stolen. The total loss for the stolen items was $500.32. Officers verified this using Target’s security cameras.”
In an attempt to identify the suspected thief, law enforcement posted images of her from the big box retailer’s surveillance footage on their Instagram and Facebook profiles.
According to police, the effort produced quick results.
“An anonymous caller saw the post on social media and gave a possible identification for the suspect,” the press release continues. “The anonymous caller also provided officers with Marlena’s Instagram handle.”
Authorities then discovered something they believe was even more brazen than the initial theft: a TikTok post by the defendant in which she allegedly documents leaving Target with the items in question.
“Marlena documents herself picking out items inside the store and placing them in her car after exiting the store,” according to the press announcement. “Marlena appears to be a content creator with almost 300,000 followers.”
According to police, Valez was wearing “the same outfit and glasses” in the TikTok video as the woman seen on Target surveillance footage.
“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 documented.”
In a video produced by the police department, clips from a TikTok video appear to show the defendant shopping for kitchen supplies and a box of disposable diapers, which she then loads into her vehicle’s trunk.
Valez was arrested Thursday and released a few hours later on a $150 cash bond.
She is scheduled to appear in court on December 10.
