‘Wasn’t me’ — the Viljoens deny US shoplifting charges, while still in ICE custody

Melany and Peet Viljoen may be detained in separate facilities in America, but they are united in both pleading not guilty to shoplifting charges.

The Viljoens were arrested in Florida on 10 March 2026 for allegedly stealing groceries from a supermarket over several months.

Police alleged they placed the tags and barcodes of lower-priced items on to more expensive goods.

The couple has been detained in the US since their arrests.

‘Survival mode’ and ‘not guilty’

Daily Maverick previously reported that a police officer’s affidavit in the matter said Peet had not admitted to the shoplifting accusations, while Melany allegedly said she had acted alone.

“She stated she was stealing because she was in ‘survival mode’ and has not worked since [coming] to the US due to not having a visa,” the affidavit said.

It also listed various items they allegedly pilfered, including, in the case of Peet, “two bottles of La Marca Prosecco Sparkling Wine ($34.99 each)” and “one package of Charmin Toilet Paper ($17.19)”.

Melany allegedly stole items that included a bunch of organic bananas and a bag of potatoes.

Last week, though, Melany, via a lawyer, denied wrongdoing.

Based on court records that Daily Maverick has obtained, on 9 April, both she and Peet pleaded not guilty to aggravated grand retail theft involving items worth more than $3,000 (nearly R50,000).

The case against them is expected to resume in May.

ICE transfers and ‘hell on earth’

Last week, a lawyer represented them in court.

Neither appeared in the dock of the Palm Beach court where the case was heard because they remain in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.

They apparently did not have the correct paperwork for being in the US at the time of their arrests.

Aside from the shoplifting case, Melany and Peet therefore also face potential deportation to South Africa.

Following her arrest, Melany was initially held in the Broward Transitional Centre.

On Monday, 13 April, though, it appeared that she was in the Denver Contract Detention Facility in Colorado.

Peet was previously held in an immigration facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz”.

But a Daily Maverick search of his ICE location on Monday showed that he had been transferred to the California City Corrections Centre, a former prison.

The Guardian has reported that detainees there described it as “a torture chamber” and “hell on earth”.

Supermarket ban

Melany and Peet had both previously been granted bail, but even if they paid it, their ICE detention means they will probably not be freed from custody.

If they were, there would be conditions.

For example, the store that the Viljoens allegedly stole from is a Publix supermarket. Following their arrests, a court declared that they were “prohibited from being within 500 feet of” all Publix stores until the case against them concludes.

Before their arrests, Melany and Peet tried to create the impression that they were celebrities – Melany had featured on the reality show, The Real Housewives of Pretoria.

They peddled the lies that US President Donald Trump has amplified, that white Afrikaner people are specifically being persecuted in South Africa. This, they purported, was among the reasons they left the country.

The couple was prolific on social media before their US arrests. DM