South African reality TV couple has been arrested in America for theft. After fleeing their financial and legal obligations in South Africa, Mel and Peet Viljoen have been arrested in the US for shoplifting items work over $5000.
Reality TV couple Melany Viljoen (39) and Petrus “Peet” Viljoen (57), featured on Real Housewives of Pretoria were arrested in Boca Raton, Florida on 10 March 2026. Police say they ran a 6-month “ticket-switching” theft scheme at a Publix, stealing $5,302 in groceries across 52 transactions (Aug 2025-Mar 2026).
According to investigators, 392 items were unscanned, while scanning cheap seasoning packets and bagging expensive items. CCTV allegedly shows Peet distracting the store staff while Melany used self-checkout.
Melany told police she acted alone and was in “survival mode” without a U.S. work visa, but investigators say footage shows both involved.
Both face aggravated grand retail theft charges under Florida law.
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