Police officers arrested Melany Viljoen, right and her husband, Petrus Viljoen, left, on Tuesday in Boca Raton.
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"The Real Housewives of Pretoria" and "The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: South Africa" star Melany "Mel" Viljoen may have fled to the United States from South Africa, but she is still getting on the bad side of the law.
News has broken that Mel and her husband, disbarred lawyer Peet Viljoen, were arrested on Tuesday in Boca Raton for stealing.
According to US media reports, a Boca Raton police officer wrote in an arrest report that Mel "stated she was stealing because she was in survival mode and has not worked since coming to the U.S. due to not having a Visa."
"Over the course of the last 6 months, the Viljoens have worked in concert during multiple acts of retail thefts," a Boca Raton police officer wrote, according to the arrest report.
Surveillance video and store records showed the couple had stolen more than $5,300 (R87,000) from the Publix Supermarket at Mercado Real, located at 1001 South Federal Highway in Boca Raton, according to police.
The items stolen included La Marca Prosecco sparkling wine, San Pellegrino sparkling mineral water, Maison Perrier flavoured sparkling water, and Coca-Cola Zero.
"There are also two incidents within the jurisdiction of Lighthouse Point in Broward County that were not reported ... due to the value not being significant," a Boca Raton police officer wrote about alleged thefts at other Publix stores, according to an arrest report.
Corrections booked the couple on Tuesday afternoon at the Main Detention Centre in West Palm Beach, according to inmate records. They each faced an organised retail theft felony charge, and their bond was $10,000 each.
The couple in South Africa got in trouble due to their use of the Tammy Taylor brand despite the expiration of their license, leading to legal action from the US-based Tammy Taylor Nails Inc and dissatisfied franchise buyers.
They then went on to gain more fame on the reality show "The Real Housewives of Pretoria", using it as a platform to sanitise their image.
IOL