Florida mom, grandma arrested for using child to steal bottles of champagne, cosmetics from Target: deputies

By FOX 35 Digital Staff

PALM COAST, Fla. – A Florida mother and grandmother were arrested on Black Friday after deputies said they used a child to help them steal alcohol and cosmetic products from a Target store. 

Ylena Regul, 56, and Tamara Keetley, 76, are facing charges of shoplifting and contributing to the delinquency of a child, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

On Nov. 29, deputies responded to a Target store in Palm Coast after a loss prevention specialist reported that two women were shoplifting.

The employee stated they saw a child putting cosmetics into her backpack while Regul and Keetley, later identified as the child’s mother and grandmother, were seen putting several bottles of wine and champagne into the same bag.

The child attempted to leave the store without purchasing, but was stopped by an employee and escorted to the loss prevention office. 

Pictured: Ylena Regul (left) and Tamara Keetley (right) Credit: Flagler County Sheriffs Office

Meanwhile, Regul and Keetley were seen adding more bottles of wine and champagne into bags, deputies said.

Regul then left the store with the items and walked to her car in the parking lot, and Keetley joined her shortly after. Both women were escorted by deputies to the loss prevention office, where Regul was informed that her daughter was in custody.

Deputies said the women attempted to steal nearly $380 worth of cosmetics and alcohol.

The child was turned over to her father’s custody. 

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TikTok Mom Vlogger Allegedly Stole from Target, Got Caught When She Posted Video

Marlena Velez billed herself as a mom-vlogger and shared about earning a high-income through her social media content

Samira Asma-Sadeque

A Florida content creator was arrested last week after allegedly being caught shoplifting — in her own video.

Marlena Velez, 22, was arrested Wednesday, Nov. 21, in connection with a theft reported at a Cape Coral, Fla., Target in October, the Cape Coral Police Department said in a statement.

Per the police statement, Target alleged that the suspect picked up several items on sale, and instead of scanning those items, she scanned barcodes of different, cheaper items at self-checkout.

The stolen goods included 16 articles of household items and clothing, totaling $500.32 in value, police said.

When Cape Coral police released security footage of the suspect, officials say they received an anonymous tip that led them to Velez’s Instagram and TikTok.

Her TikTok account has 356,000 followers, but her Instagram account appears to have been taken down.

Investigators say they matched the security footage of her with the outfits and activities seen in a post on TikTok she made the same day as the theft.

In her TikTok video, snippets of which were shared by Cape Coral police, Velez is seen picking up several items, including a Stanley mug, a mini cosmetics bag and a milk-and-cookies set. She then films herself filling up her trunk with several shopping bags. The video is no longer available on Velez’s TikTok.

Velez billed herself as a mom vlogger posting about home decor and fashion, starting back in 2020. In one September 2023 TikTok video, she speaks about her high income — earning, from just one video, the equivalent of what her boyfriend earns in a month.

“If i have any advice it’s just to keep posting. keep posting anything and everything. who cares if it gets 20 views just post it. stop waiting for the ‘right time’ once you believe in yourself so will others,” she wrote in part of the caption, adding: “there are so many opportunities you may be passing up because you’re scared to pick up that camera and film content!”

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Velez has been charged with one count of petty theft. Online court records show Velez has been released on bond, but did not indicate any information about an attorney or plea.

TikTok influencer arrested after posting videos with allegedly shoplifted Target haul

Marlena Velez, 22, is alleged to have stolen items from a Target in Cape Coral, Florida, by scanning false bar codes with cheaper prices, police said.

TikTok creator arrested after posting video with allegedly shoplifted goods

A TikTok influencer who allegedly shoplifted about $500 worth of items from Target and posted her haul on the social media app, where she has more than 360,000 followers, has been arrested and charged with petty theft.

Police said Marlena Velez, 22, stole the items by scanning false bar codes with cheaper prices on Oct. 30 at a Target in Cape Coral, Florida.

The 16 items — household goods and clothing — were valued at $500.32, the Cape Coral Police Department said in a news release. Velez regularly posts content about her life as a mom of two on her TikTok account.

Police were called to the store last week for the theft that occurred on Oct. 30. The police department posted a photo of the suspect on its Facebook and Instagram accounts and asked the public’s help in identifying her. They received numerous phone calls from anonymous tipsters, one of whom was “personally known” to Velez and provided Velez’s name, date of birth and the names of her Instagram and TikTok accounts, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Those public social media pages helped police connect Velez to the theft, according to the affidavit.

Police said they found a video Velez posted on TikTok getting ready on the day of the theft, wearing the same outfit as the woman seen on Target’s security video — a tan shirt, tan pants and glasses. Velez recorded herself picking out the items inside the store and then taking them home with her, police said. According to the probable cause affidavit, the tipster also provided “unique details” about Velez, including that she had two children and a tattoo of a Zodiac sign on her left wrist, which police said matched that of the woman in the security footage.

“Everything was documented,” Mercedes Phillips, a spokesperson for the department, said in a video posted to its Instagram account.

Velez told the officer who arrested her that she did not recall stealing from Target and after she was shown a photo of the woman from the store’s security video, she “verbally confirmed” that she was the woman in the photo and video, the probable cause affidavit says.

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While in the Lee County Jail, Velez is alleged to have said “lesson learned” multiple times, according to the probable cause affidavit. The officer who arrested her asked her while she was at the jail whether she still had the stolen merchandise and she is alleged to have responded that she may still have some of the items, “to include some Christmas decorations,” the affidavit states.

Phillips thanked the community for its help in identifying Velez.

Velez was arrested and charged with one count of petty theft. She was released on $150 bail and is due in court Dec. 10, court records show. She could not immediately be reached at a number or an email address listed for her or through her TikTok account.