'Thong thief' accused of stealing $14K worth of underwear from Victoria's Secret stores

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Police arrested a woman accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of underwear from Victoria's Secret stores in Valley malls.

Leticia Perez is responsible for eight shoplifting incidents from Victoria's Secret stores in Glendale and Phoenix, Glendale Police said. 

Police released surveillance video of the incidents on X. 

Perez allegedly admitted to committing the crimes. "No more panty proceeds for her," police remarked.

Glendale Police say the scheme lasted for months and spanned across two cities. It was surveillance video and facial recognition technology that brought her into custody.

The surveillance video shows it all. A woman walks into a store with a big bag, stuffs handfuls of underwear inside, and scurries away.

"The theft was so significant that we dubbed her the 'thong thief,'" said Moroni Mendez with Glendale Police.

Leticia Perez (Glendale PD)

Mendez says it wasn’t the department’s first time investigating the so-called "thong thief."

She allegedly struck seven times across Phoenix and Glendale between November and March. She reportedly would sneak a big bag into the underwear shops, swipe a drawer full of panties, and walk away. 

Investigators used facial recognition technology to match the stores' videos to Perez's previous booking photo.

Once in custody, police say she started talking, saying money was the goal.

Mendez has this message for would-be thieves – "Don’t do it, because we are going to catch you, find you, and you might get a nickname by us."

Perez is accused of several charges-including organized retail theft. Police say she was also in possession of drugs when she was arrested.