‘Misunderstanding’: Mel and Peet Viljoen break silence after arrest
'Real Housewives' couple Mel and Peet Viljoen have spoken out from their ICE detention centres on their US charges...
Black News 
Mel and Peet Viljoen have broken their silence on charges that they shoplifted food from their local grocery shop and overstayed their visa in the US.
The Real Housewives couple are currently being detained in separate ICE detention centres as they await their fate before an immigration judge. They recently pleaded not guilty to grand retail theft charges.
They are expected to be deported to South Africa.
MEL AND PEET VILJOEN BREAK SILENCE OVER CRIMINAL CHARGES
According to content creator Bianca van Wyk, Mel and Peet Viljoen have broken their silence on their criminal charges in the US.
The couple packed up their life in South Africa, citing “racial persecution”.
Last month, they were arrested at their Miami apartment on charges of grand retail theft after allegedly shoplifting more than $5 000 worth of groceries, over a period of several months, from their local Publix store.
The couple are accused of “ticket switching” – a form of shoplifting in which an individual scans the tag of cheaper items during self-checkout. A police officer wrote of Mel in the report: “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”
However, the blonde bombshell now claims that it was a “misunderstanding”
Images via Facebook
Although she conceded that she may have scanned incorrect items, Mel Viljoen claims she offered to pay for her oversight. She claimed that the police do not have evidence of any intentional theft.
Peet Viljoen also dismissed claims that the couple overstayed their tourist visa.
Speaking from an ICE detention centre, he claimed that their applications to extend their visa was “pending”. The disbarred lawyer claimed that they would apply for asylum if their visas were rejected.
They are expected back in court next month.
DEPORTED?
Meanwhile, private investigator Mike Bolhuis, from the company, Specialised Security Services, has claimed to have obtained information that Mel and Peet Viljoen will be deported imminently.
Bolhuis – who refers to the Viljoens as “fugitives” – has been investigating the couple’s alleged criminal activities over the last few years.
He believes that the Viljoens fled to the US – under the guise of being “persecuted” in South Africa – to evade justice.
He shared on his company website: “Their documentation used to leave South Africa was allegedly manipulated and fraudulently falsified. This raises serious suspicions of a coordinated escape plan.
“It is believed they orchestrated this with the assistance of well-placed contacts — a reckless move that ultimately sealed their fate. This aspect now forms part of an active and ongoing investigation”
The Viljoens will appear before an immigration judge who is expected to issue deportation orders, despite their pending criminal theft charges in the US.
