Imagine enjoying a family lunch on Easter Sunday, only to have your purse snatched right from under your nose.
That’s exactly what happened to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
But here’s the update: the suspect, 49-year-old Mario Bustamante Leiva, has been arrested and charged with some serious crimes.
The String of Robberies
According to court documents, Bustamante Leiva is accused of committing not one, not two, but three robberies between April 12, 2024, and April 20, 2025.
After each robbery, he allegedly used the stolen credit cards to make fraudulent purchases. Talk about a bold move! But, as we all know, you can’t outrun the law forever.
How the Arrest Went Down
Bustamante Leiva, an illegally present Chilean national, was finally caught by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the Secret Service on Saturday.
Detectives had been following a trail of video evidence that led them straight to the suspect. And, let me tell you, it was a pretty clever operation.
The suspect would approach his victims while they were eating at a restaurant, swipe their purses from the back of their seats, and then make a quick escape.
The Big Score: Kristi Noem’s Luxury Bag
One of Bustamante Leiva’s victims was none other than Kristi Noem herself.
The suspect made off with her luxury bag, which contained a whopping $3,000 in cash, as well as her driver’s license, passport, medication, makeup bag, blank checks, DHS badge, apartment keys, and a Louis Vuitton Clemence wallet.
That’s quite a haul! The bag was stolen right from under her table at The Capital Burger in Washington, D.C.
The Investigation Unfolds
Security footage showed a White man wearing a N95 surgical mask, dark pants, and a baseball cap grabbing the bag and making a swift exit.
The police were able to track down the suspect using this footage, and now Bustamante Leiva is facing charges of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and robbery.
It just goes to show that, no matter how clever you think you are, the law will always catch up with you in the end.