US EditionMan who swiped Noem’s purse in a DC restaurant is sentenced to 3 years in prison
Mario Bustamante Leiva admitted to a string of purse thefts and wire fraud, and prosecutors said he used stolen cards within minutes.
- On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden sentenced Mario Bustamante Leiva to three years in prison for stealing a Gucci handbag from then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in April 2025.
- Leiva, a 50-year-old Chilean national, did not recognize Noem when he snatched the purse while she dined with family; co-defendant Cristian Montecino-Sanzana was sentenced to 13 months in March for his role in one of the thefts.
- Police recovered the bag containing credit cards and roughly $3,000 in cash from Leiva's motel room. In November, he pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud and one count of first-degree theft.
- U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro stated Leiva "methodically targeted women at restaurants" and will face deportation after his prison term, citing a "disturbing pattern" of criminal conduct dating to the mid-1990s.
- Noem was ousted from her Homeland Security post last month amid a Cabinet shake-up, though she was under Secret Service protection when the April 2025 theft occurred at a restaurant.
49 Articles
49 Articles
Illegal Immigrant Jailed for Stealing Noem’s Gucci Bag, Committing Wire Fraud.
A Chilean illegal immigrant has been sentenced to three years in prison for wire fraud and theft, including stealing former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s handbag.PULSE POINTS WHAT HAPPENED: Mario Bustamante Leiva, a 50-year-old Chilean illegal immigrant, was handed a three-year prison term for wire fraud and theft. Among his crimes was the theft of a Gucci handbag belonging to Kristi Noem, the former Homeland Security Secretary. He a…
A serial thief steals Kristi Noem's luxury handbag in a restaurant. Now a U.S. court sentenced him to three years in prison.
Chilean immigrant Mario Bustamante Leiva, who dared to steal the bag of Kristi Noem, former secretary of the DHS, was sentenced to three years in prison
Washington, Apr 22 (EFE).- The man who stole the bag of the then U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, while dining at a restaurant in Washington, was sentenced on Wednesday to three years in prison. Mario Bustamante Leiva, a 50-year-old Chilean citizen, committed during that month several robberies of women’s bags at restaurants in the U.S. capital, including Noem, a Gucci that contained $3,000 in cash, and later used his credit card…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
