Grocery prices are rising across the country, but can you imagine how many groceries you’d have to try to put in your cart to get to $5,300? Allegedly, Real Housewives of Pretoria alum Melany Viljoen wanted to find out.
The South African Housewife was arrested earlier this week in Florida alongside her husband, Petrus Viljoen. They reportedly tried to make off with a cart full of free groceries from Publix, but the police quickly caught up to them.
Real Housewives of Pretoria’s Melany Viljoen is accused of stealing groceries worth thousands
According to police records reviewed by People, the Boca Raton Police Department accused the South African nationals of using a “ticket-switching” scam to make off with a cart full of groceries they didn’t actually buy.
Allegedly, Petrus distracted the unsuspecting Publix employee while Mel got to work. She’d go through the self-checkout and pretend like she was scanning in her groceries. Investigators claim she actually scanned in a bunch of seasoning packets.
Surveillance footage and transaction details appeared to show 392 items not properly scanned. Some of those items included wine, soda, toilet paper, produce, and all sorts of other household essentials. These two had a fully loaded cart, and the grocery store’s security cameras appeared to show them waltzing out to their black Range Rover with all of the items.
The police caught up with the couple on Tuesday, March 10, and arrested them during a traffic stop. They pulled them out of their Range Rover, and allegedly, the former Housewife tried to tell the police that she pulled the stunt because she was in “survival mode.” She said that she’s having a hard time finding work in the United States because she doesn’t have a visa.
Mel also reportedly told the cops that she acted alone in this misguided grocery haul. She wanted to take the fall for her husband, but the cops weren’t buying it. They felt like Publix gave them enough evidence to arrest both of them.
Cops charged the husband and wife duo with aggravated grand retail theft over $3,000. They’re both being held on a $10,000 bond each, and of course, they’re innocent until proven guilty.
The Real Housewives of Pretoria is available to stream on Showmax in South Africa.
TELL US – DID YOU WATCH MEL ON THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF PRETORIA? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HER ALLEGED GROCERY CAPER?
