Suspect in Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s purse theft is charged in federal court

Thanks to the efforts of the Secret Service working in concert with the Metropolitan Police Department, this alleged thief was quickly identified, arrested, and, with the deft management of the Assistant US Attorney, charged,

US Attorney Edward Martin said in the statement

Following each robbery, Bustamente Leiva made fraudulent purchases using the credit cards obtained from the victim of each robbery,

a U.S. Secret Service agent wrote in a complaint against the Chilean national in U.S. District Court in D.C.

I know I've been talking about the success of the men and women of the Border Patrol and ICE, but under her strong leadership – she's a game changer,

he lauded

Thomas Homanborder czar

They] picked the wrong person to steal a purse from,

Homan told reporters at Monday's White House press briefing

Thomas Homanborder czar

I don't have their criminal history, but I know the one that stole the purse is supposedly in the country illegally,

Homan said of Bustamante-Leiva during a briefing on President Donald Trump's immigration agenda over his first 100 days back in office

Unfortunately, so many families in this country have been made victims by crime, and that’s why President Trump is working every single day to make America safe and get these criminal aliens off of our streets,

Noem added

On Saturday, April 26, 2025, members of the Metropolitan Police Department and the United States Secret Service located and arrested 49-year-old Mario Bustamante Leiva,

the MPD told Newsweek

Following a comprehensive investigation, the Secret Service alleges that the defendant is a serial offender. We have also determined that this incident had no protective nexus to Secretary Noem or her role as Secretary of Homeland Security."

Meanwhile, Secret Service Washington Field Office Special Agent in Charge Matt McCool told Newsweek

It was frankly… a nice looking purse. This was not an amateur. This was a person, a thief, that knew how to do this. You could see how he scouted the room out,

Martin told NBC News

Public safety is strongest when built on trust and collaboration. We are grateful to the Miami Beach Police Department for their swift and outstanding assistance in today's apprehension. After receiving information from Washington, Miami Beach Police officers quickly implemented targeted patrols and located the defendant, who was taken into custody without incident,

Barros said

Thank you to Secret Service and ICE and our law enforcement partners for finding and arresting the criminal who stole my bag on Easter Sunday as I shared a meal with my family at a Washington DC restaurant,

Noem's spokesperson shared in a statement with Fox News Digital

This was not targeted. This is pretty much the bottom of the criminal food chain. They, I know he had an accomplice, just wanted to make money and get away with it,

Mauro explained

Public safety is strongest when built on trust and collaboration,

Special Agent in Charge Rafael Barros said

The individual is believed to be a co-conspirator in those incidents with the primary defendant who is accused of committing a robbery against Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem,

a spokesperson for the Secret Service shared in a statement

He looks around, he's got black pants, white sneakers, a black jacket, a black baseball cap, and he's wearing an N95 mask like we saw during Covid. And, you know, it appears he might be looking for somebody,

Miller said

She could feel this person as they snatched her bag, but thought they were her grandchildren playing until realizing a minute later that her bag was gone,

Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, told the New York Times on Thursday

He's a smooth operator. He does this for a living, there's no doubt about that.”

On Tuesday, CNN's John Miller, chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst for the network, revealed some new details as to how the thief was able to pull off the heist, telling Kaitlan Collins

There is no indication it was because of that. It was frankly, it was a nice-looking purse,

Martin told NBC News

This individual is a career criminal who has been in our country illegally for years,

Noem said in a prepared statement

President Trump's direction to us is we charge these folks that are here illegally and we prosecute them, as well as deport them when need be, you know, as soon as that can happen, ... What I can tell you is he won't be back on the streets in America."

Martin said, adding