Former American Idol finalist Antonella Barba has been arrested after allegedly shoplifting from a Target store, marking another legal issue for the one-time reality TV contestant.
Barba, 39, was charged with stealing merchandise valued at under $200 from the Target at Seaview Square Shopping Center in Ocean Township, New Jersey, on August 10, according to NJ.com.
Police said officers were called to the retail chain after Barba allegedly placed items inside a bag while moving between a fitting room and a restroom inside the store.
Authorities alleged that Barba left the bathroom and headed directly toward the exit before officers approached her outside the store, where they reportedly found stolen merchandise in the bag she was carrying.
Barba has pleaded not guilty and is due to appear in Ocean Township Municipal Court on November 18.
She rose to national attention on American Idol in 2007, reaching the Top 16 before her elimination. Jordin Sparks went on to win that season of the hit singing competition.
The singer has faced multiple legal troubles over the years, including a 2010 shoplifting case, federal fentanyl charges in 2018 and a domestic violence arrest last year.
Past Legal Troubles
In March 2025, she was arrested on a domestic violence allegation during a vehicle stop by Point Pleasant Beach Police Department in New Jersey.
Barba had a warrant out for her arrest for a recent domestic violence charge, and the order ended up violating her federal supervised release from her previous drug case.
Her first brush with the law came in December 2010, when she was arrested for shoplifting – allegedly $18.81 worth of gloves from Urban Outfitters – in New York City. She was charged with two misdemeanors and sentenced to one day of community service.
But in 2019 she was sentenced to nearly four years behind bars for conspiring to distribute the highly-addictive opiate fentanyl after being charged by federal authorities in October 2018.
The former reality star had pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl after she was busted trying to deliver nearly two pounds of the drug to a stash house in Virginia.
She ended up being released from federal prison and n five years of supervised release in October 2021, according to TMZ.
Just over a year later, however, her probation officer claimed she allegedly moved out of her approved residence in Point Pleasant.
Alleged Domestic Violence Incidents
The officer was conducting a home visit in August 2022 when he learned she had relocated a month earlier.
Barba subsequently agreed to adhere to a curfew and wear an electronic ankle bracelet.
The troubles continued in November 2024 after she allegedly got into a domestic violence dispute with an ex-partner identified only as ‘K.H.’ in court documents, according to TMZ.
K.H. has been accused of punching the American Idol vet in the face, her skin allegedly splitting open. The injury required stitches.
Barba’s probation officer claimed she was thrown out of a domestic violence shelter in January 2024 after she revealed to K.H. where the organization was, compromising its location.
TMZ notes the duo allegedly had two other incidents last month, both of which got police involved.
As a result of her house arrest, she has been ordered to discontinue all contact with K.H. and family.
Barba previously admitted to making some ‘really bad choices’ following her release from prison.
‘Real Talk: I’ve been scared to put myself out there. To be honest, approaching social media again, after not having access to it for 3 years, brings up a lot of anxiety,’ she wrote on Instagram in 2022.
Barba Reflects on Her Past
‘A few years ago, I made some really bad choices. Choices that I regret. But I’ve learned that the only thing I can control is the choices that I make moving forward. Being on the inside taught me that life is short. 1 thing I know for sure is I’m deeply grateful to continue to be able to follow my dreams.
‘There are a few projects I’ve been working on, including some new music & a book that I’m looking forward to sharing more about when the time is right. For now, I’ll be sharing some photos from a few recent shoots. Thanks for sticking with me (you know who you are).’
She was also involved in controversy during her time on American Idol in 2007.
Barba caused a stir at the time after she was photographed posing in a wet t-shirt in the fountain of the World War II Memorial.
She also made news during her time on the show after racy photographs of her were leaked to the internet.
The pictures showed Barba in various stages of undress. She acknowledged at the time that the photos were authentic but they were leaked without her consent.
In the years since American Idol, Barba remained in the entertainment industry but never caught her big break, having made a few music albums, acted minor roles in a couple of films and appeared in the 2012 season of Fear Factor.
