Bodycam footage is shining an unflattering spotlight on a pair of reality-TV veterans in Boca Raton, where police say a months-long grocery scam was hiding in plain sight at a neighborhood Publix. Petrus “Peet” Viljoen and Melany Viljoen, who appeared on The Real Housewives of Pretoria, were pulled over on March 10 in a black Range Rover and later booked on aggravated grand retail theft charges after investigators accused them of stealing thousands of dollars in groceries from the store over several months.
According to an arrest affidavit reviewed by WPBF, detectives went transaction by transaction through the couple’s Publix visits. They say they examined 52 purchases and found 392 items that were never properly scanned, with 369 of those allegedly caught on store video. The total tab for the missing goods came to $5,302.17. The affidavit lists transactions between Aug. 29, 2025, and Feb. 8, 2026, and notes that everything from sparkling water and prosecco to everyday pantry staples was allegedly slipped through unpaid.
How investigators say the scheme worked
Boca Raton police say the operation was not exactly a criminal mastermind plot, but it was persistent. According to reporting by WPTV, the couple allegedly used a tactic known as “ticket switching” at self-checkout. Investigators say the pair repeatedly swapped price tags or scanned cheaper barcodes while tucking small seasoning packets under higher-priced items so the system would only register the less expensive product.
The affidavit further alleges that Peet would sometimes distract store employees while Melany ran items through the self-checkout, skipping scans on dozens of products. Store analytics eventually flagged the suspicious pattern, prompting a deeper investigation and review of security footage.
Traffic stop, bodycam and custody
The investigation came to a head on March 10 during a traffic stop, when officers pulled over the couple and turned on their body-worn cameras. That video is now part of local coverage of the arrests, according to WBAL. Jail records cited in that report state that after their arrests, both were transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody…