Chilean migrant arrested for stealing Homeland Security Secretary’s Bag in DC
A Chelean national illegal migrant in the US has been arrested for stealing a designer handbag belonging to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during an Easter Sunday outing at a Washington, DC restaurant, law enforcement source told The New York Post.
The suspect, identified as 49-year-old Mario Bustamante-Leiva, allegedly stole a Gucci bag containing $3,000 incash, Secretary Noem’s driver’s license, passport, Department of Homeland Security badge, and apartment key from CapitalBurger, located about a mile from the White House. Surveillance footage reportedly showed the suspect wearing an N95 mask, a fur-collared jacket, dark pants, and a baseball cap during the theft.
Bustamante-Leiva has a prior record and was previously arrested in London in 2015 for a five-month robbery spree that resulted in the theft of phones, wallets and laptops worth approximately ₹ 31,96,370, according to Daily Mail report. He is now suspected of being part of a broader East Coast robbery network operating across the United States.
A second individual, also an undocumented migrant, was taken into custody in Miami and is currently held under a deportation notice while legal proceedings are underway. Authorities believe both suspects collaborated in a series of thefts nationwide.
US Attorney Ed Martin confirmed that there is no indication Secretary Noem was specifically targeted due to her role. Rather, the suspects are believed to have selected her based on the high-value handbag she was carrying. Martin added that Bustamante-Leive and his accomplice would be permanently barred from reentering the country following prosecution and deportation proceedings.
Responding to the arrest, Secretary Noem posted a statement on social media thanking the Secret Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and other law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation. She described the suspect as a “career criminal” who had “been in our country illegally for years,” adding that many American families have similarly fallen victim to criminal activity.
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