Man Sentenced to 3 Years for Stealing Noem's Purse

A man who stole a purse belonging to Kristi Noem, then serving as Homeland Security Secretary, while she dined at a Washington restaurant under Secret Service protection was sentenced Wednesday to three years in federal prison for a series of thefts in the nation's capital.

Mario Bustamante Leiva, a 50-year-old native of Chile, grabbed the Gucci handbag from the floor near Noem's table in April 2025 as she ate with her family. According to the U.S. attorney's office, Leiva did not recognize Noem at the time. The purse contained credit cards and approximately $3,000 in cash. Authorities later recovered the item from Leiva's motel room after linking him to the crime through surveillance footage and other evidence.

Leiva entered the United States illegally and engaged in a pattern of targeting victims in the district, investigators said. He pleaded guilty in November to three counts of wire fraud and one count of first-degree theft. The charges stemmed from the Noem incident as well as the robberies of two other individuals, during which he stole their credit cards and made fraudulent purchases. Federal authorities identified Leiva as a suspect after he used a stolen gift card for...