WASHINGTON — A Chilean national received a three-year prison term Wednesday for taking then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s designer handbag during a theft spree across Washington, D.C.
According to federal prosecutors, Mario Bustamante Leiva was unaware of Noem’s identity when he snatched her Gucci purse from beneath a restaurant table in April 2025. Noem was dining with family members while under Secret Service protection at the time. The stolen bag contained credit cards and approximately $3,000 cash, which officers later found in Leiva’s motel room.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden handed down the sentence to the 50-year-old, who now faces removal from the country following his incarceration.
“Bustamante Leiva came to Washington illegally to prey on citizens of the district,” stated U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro. “His pattern of theft ends here.”
In a previous statement, Noem described Bustamante Leiva as “a career criminal who has been in our country illegally for years.” Court documents identify the former secretary only by her initials.
The defendant entered guilty pleas in November to three wire fraud counts and one first-degree theft charge. Prosecutors say he also victimized two additional people, stealing from them and making unauthorized purchases with their payment cards.
A co-defendant, Cristian Montecino-Sananza, received 13 months behind bars in March for participating in one of the other robberies.
Law enforcement officials traced Bustamante Leiva to the crimes after he purchased items using a stolen gift card.
