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Sometimes, being an influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers isn’t enough. You have to branch out, take some risks, and make yourself feel like you’re alive. It’s part of the job.

An influencer who regularly has TikTok videos reaching millions of views has been accused of taking that part too far. She allegedly shoplifted from a Florida Target at the end of last month.

22-year-old Marlena Velez is now facing petty theft charges. Police say, according to the Fort Myers News-Press, that she swiped 16 items valued at $500.32 from a Target in Cape Coral, Florida on October 30 using a fake barcode at a self-checkout.

The Cape Coral Police Department shared an image from the surveillance footage from the day of the theft on their Facebook and Instagram accounts. Someone recognized the influencer and called in. 

The anonymous caller gave officers Velez’s Instagram handle and from there they found her TikTok account. There was a video showing her getting ready for her trip to Target on the same day of the alleged theft.

The TikTok influencer has had prior run-ins with law enforcement for theft

NBC2 News reports that this alleged shoplifting trip to Target isn’t the influencer’s first run-in with the law. She was arrested in 2019 and charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle when she was 17.

Velez was also arrested for stealing from a Walmart in the summer of 2023. She had to complete an anti-theft course and was put on probation until last month.

That’s quite the ride for this influencer. I have to admit I didn’t see the grand theft of a motor vehicle charge coming when I first started taking a look into the accusations against this TikToker.

I’m not condoning her alleged behavior here, but the headline posted a few days ago includes “TikTok sensation with nearly 300K followers.”

At last check, she’s up to more than 355k followers on the platform now. That’s simply an observation on my part. Make with it what you will.