A Chilean man who admitted to stealing then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s Gucci handbag in Washington, D.C., was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday. Mario Bustamante Leiva, 50, will be deported after serving his sentence, according to the Department of Justice.
Core Facts and Immediate Action
Bustamante Leiva was arrested in April 2025 after security cameras captured him stealing Noem’s purse from a restaurant where she was dining with her family. The bag contained credit cards and approximately $3,000 in cash. Prosecutors later linked him to three separate thefts in the same month. He pleaded guilty in November to three counts of wire fraud and one count of first-degree theft.
Deeper Dive and Context
Background of the Theft
Bustamante Leiva did not recognize Noem when he took her purse, according to prosecutors. Surveillance footage later showed him using one of her credit cards to make unauthorized purchases. Police recovered the stolen items from his motel room. Noem, who was under Secret Service protection at the time, acknowledged the incident in a statement, referring to Bustamante Leiva as a “career criminal who has been in our country illegally for years.”
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden imposed the three-year sentence, which includes deportation. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro stated that Bustamante Leiva “came to Washington illegally to prey on citizens of the District,” targeting women at restaurants and monetizing stolen cards within minutes. A prosecutor noted that his criminal conduct dated back to at least the mid-1990s.
Additional Charges and Co-Defendants
Bustamante Leiva was charged alongside Cristian Montecino-Sananza, who was sentenced in March to 13 months for his role in one of the thefts. Investigators identified Bustamante Leiva as a suspect after he used a stolen gift card for a purchase.
Political Context
Noem was ousted from her post last month amid a broader Cabinet shake-up under President Donald Trump. She had been one of his most prominent Cabinet officials at the time of the theft.