Police arrest 'thong thief' accused of stealing $14K of Victoria's Secret underwear
Police have finally arrested an Arizona woman they've labeled the "Thong Thief," the Arizona Republic, a part of the USA TODAY Network, reported Thursday.
Leticia Martinez Perez, 24, is suspected of stealing more than $14,000 worth of underwear from Victoria's Secret stores in west Phoenix in nine different incidents stretching from November to March, according to police records.
Perez was arrested on May 15 by Glendale police.
"No more panty proceeds for her," Glendale Police posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, after Perez's arrest, who they say admitted to selling the underwear for profit.
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The string of thefts
The first documented theft was on Nov. 29 at Desert Sky Mall near 75th Avenue and Thomas Road — where all Phoenix incidents took place, according to police records.
Police say Perez continued to steal from the Phoenix location on Jan. 10, twice on Jan. 23, Jan. 26, Jan. 31, Feb. 1, and Mar. 8.
The last theft was reported on March 20 at Arrowhead Mall near 75th Avenue and Bell Road in Glendale.
Police said in their reports Perez committed the Phoenix thefts alone but had help during the Glendale incident.
Glendale police contacted that person, only identified as a man, after matching his face with still surveillance photos provided by the Glendale store. Police reported the man confirmed he and Perez were in the photos.
He told police he could not remember the incident and that he didn't know what Perez did with the stolen underwear, police records state. He told them he assumed Perez was getting money for the stolen items.
The 'Thong Thief' confesses
Perez confirmed to police in a post-Miranda interview that she was the person in the still photos for each of the nine incidents, according to police records.
The first theft in November kicked off because someone told Perez there were not many staff members working at the Victoria's Secret at Desert Sky Mall. That fact made it an easy target, she said in police records.
For each of the remaining eight incidents, Perez said in police records she entered the retail store with the intent to shoplift. She said her plan would be to sell the items to buy drugs or have money to stay in a motel for one night. People on the street would also ask Perez to sell certain items and she would sell those to them, she said.
Perez told police in the interview she knew what she was doing was wrong. She was charged with 20 counts of organized retail theft, according to police records.
Elena Santa Cruz is a criminal justice reporter for The Republic. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her on X @ecsantacruz3.