US suspect accused of stealing Kristi Noem’s purse sentenced to three years 

A United States district court has sentenced a Chilean man to three years in prison for stealing a handbag last year belonging to then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

On Wednesday, the administration of President Donald Trump added that the suspect, 50-year-old Mario Bustamante Leiva, would also be subject to deportation after his time behind bars.

“Bustamante Leiva came to Washington illegally to prey on citizens of the District. He methodically targeted women at restaurants, stealing their purses, and monetizing the stolen cards within minutes,” US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a statement.

“His pattern of theft ends here. He will serve his prison term and be deported.”

The bag-snatching case raised concerns last year about the efficacy of Noem’s Secret Service protection, as agents had been guarding the cabinet secretary on the night of the theft.

The Trump administration has also used the case as an example to justify its deportation push, as well as its military-led crackdown on crime in Washington, DC.

According to prosecutors, Bustamante Leiva was one of two suspects who were caught on surveillance camera stealing purses in Washington, DC, in April 2025.

His co-defendant, Cristian Montecino-Sanzana, reportedly joined him for the first documented theft on April 12. He has been sentenced to 13 months behind bars and three years of supervised release, but he too faces deportation.

Bustamante Leiva was also accused of a second theft on April 17 at the Westin Hotel in Washington, DC. In both cases, the stolen credit cards were later used at a grocery store to purchase gift cards.

The case involving Noem came on April 20, as the Homeland Security secretary dined with her family at Capital Burger.

“Surveillance cameras recorded Bustamente Leiva repeatedly looking down toward Noem’s purse before bending down and snatching it,” a statement from the US Justice Department reads. “Noem’s purse contained several credit cards and about $3,000 in cash.”

Bustamente Leiva was ultimately charged with three counts of wire fraud and one count of first-degree theft.

Last year, Trump initiated a series of National Guard deployments around the country on the premise of safeguarding immigration agents and tamping down crime.

In August, that campaign came to Washington, DC, which Trump described as overwhelmed with crime. Official data at the time, however, put violent crime in the city at a 30-year low.

“Citizens, tourists, and staff alike are unable to live peacefully in the Nation’s capital, which is under siege from violent crime,” Trump wrote in an executive order on August 11.

As part of his order, he deployed thousands of National Guard troops to patrol the capital to address what he described as a “crime emergency”.

While court cases forced Trump to remove National Guard members from other parts of the country, the military has remained on the streets of Washington, DC, in part because of the Home Rule Act, which gives the federal government greater power over the capital.

But there are limits. Federal law otherwise largely forbids the military from serving as civilian law enforcement, so the troops cannot make arrests.

Roughly 2,500 troops remain in the capital to support local law enforcement. It is unclear when their deployment might end.

Noem, meanwhile, was fired as Homeland Security secretary on March 5, amid growing scrutiny of her government spending and her controversial immigration enforcement efforts in places like Minnesota.

She has since been reassigned to the Shield of the Americas, Trump’s initiative to encourage Latin American leaders to reject Chinese influence in their countries and use heavy force to stop crime.