2 suspects are arrested over the theft of Homeland Security Secretary Noem’s purse

A suspect has been arrested and charged in connection with last week’s theft of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s purse.

Mario Bustamante Leiva, 49, was arrested Saturday and charged with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and robbery, the Justice Department announced Monday.

Noem was dining at Capital Burger, a restaurant in Washington, D.C., on Easter when her purse went missing. She told her Secret Service detail, who alerted the field office. She said her government ID card was gone, as well as several of her credit cards.

Leiva was allegedly seen on surveillance footage sitting in a chair close to Noem at a nearby table, according to the DOJ in a document outlining the arrest. He allegedly scooted his chair back closer to her purse, bent down with a jacket over his arm and picked up her purse from the floor, according to the document. He then allegedly tossed Noem’s driver’s license before more footage shows him boarding and exiting a city bus, and using her credit card to make food and alcohol purchases that totaled more than $200, the Justice Department said.

“Thank you to @SecretService @ICEgov 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 said in a post on X Sunday.

Capital Burger declined to comment on the incident.

What we know about the suspect

The Justice Department said Leiva is from Chile, and that he is in the U.S. illegally. NPR has not been able to independently verify that claim.

Leiva also is a suspect in two other purse thefts that occurred in D.C. this month, said the DOJ, in which a man used the same tactic of covering his hand with a jacket before retrieving the bags. He allegedly used the two women’s credit cards to make $900 in purchases, the DOJ said.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued an immigration detainer against Leiva. An immigration detainer instructs an agency to hold an undocumented suspect for an additional 48 hours after their release while it decides next steps, according to ICE.

Leiva’s attorney, Ubong Akpan, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In an interview with officials from the Metropolitan Police Department and the Secret Service, the DOJ said Leiva admitted using his feet to slide Noem’s purse from under her table. He told investigators he did not know who Noem was before he allegedly committed the crime.

Leiva appeared in Superior Court Monday in D.C. for a fugitive warrant unrelated to the robberies, the Justice Department said. The DOJ did not immediately respond to NPR’s questions about the warrant.

Law enforcement has arrested an alleged accomplice

Secret Service agents in Miami arrested a second suspect Sunday who is thought to be a participant in the D.C. thefts. The person has not been named, but is expected to be identified once charges are filed.

“After receiving information from Washington, Miami Beach Police officers quickly implemented targeted patrols and located the defendant, who was taken into custody without incident,” Special Agent in Charge Rafael Barros said in a statement.

The second suspect is allegedly shown on surveillance footage with Leiva at a D.C. subway station, where they allegedly used Noem’s stolen credit cards to load money onto their transit cards, DOJ officials said. The second suspect also is accused of using one of the cards to book a room at a Motel 6 in D.C., in which he used his name, the DOJ said.

Leiva verified the identity of the second suspect and confirmed seeing him a few days prior to his own arrest, the DOJ said.

The second suspect is also being held on an immigration detainer, the Secret Service said.