An illegal migrant accused of stealing Kristi Noem’s Gucci bag allegedly used her AmEx to spend $205 on food and alcohol before falling asleep at a restaurant table.
Mario Bustamante Leiva, 49, allegedly targeted three different people between April 12 and 20, during the time he is accused of snatching the Homeland Security Secretary’s designer bag, which reportedly cost around $4,400.
Charging documents filed in federal court on Monday stated that Noem, who is referred to only as “an individual under the protection of the United States Secret Service,” had been dining at the Capital Burger restaurant when the incident happened.
Noem’s handbag contained $3,000 in cash, a Louis Vuitton wallet, her DHS access badge, apartment keys, passport, blank checks, and other personal items.
After taking the bag, Bustamante Leiva got the bus to a nearby Italian restaurant, where he made five purchases using several of Noem’s American Express cards, the documents stated.
Mario Bustamente Leiva is accused of stealing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s handbag which contained her personal credit cards and government ID (United States Secret Service)
Surveillance footage viewed by the Secret Service revealed he had stayed at the restaurant until around midnight, then left and fell asleep at an outdoor table, where he remained until approximately 7:30 a.m. the following morning.
Police and federal agents arrested Bustamante Leiva on Saturday and he was charged with aggravated identity theft, robbery and fraud on Monday. Court records didn’t immediately list an attorney representing him.
The agent’s affidavit doesn’t name Noem, but the information in court records matches details of the theft from her. Authorities said there was no evidence that Noem had been targeted because of her high-profile status.
“There is no indication it was because of that. It was, frankly, it was a nice-looking purse,” Ed Martin, the Interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, told NBC News.
In a prepared statement, Noem referred to Bustamente Leiva as a ‘a career criminal who has been in our country illegally for years’ (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Investigators said they identified Bustamante Leiva as a suspect in the thefts after he used a stolen gift card to make a purchase at a motel. When shown a photo of Noem, he told investigators that he didn’t know who she was, according to the affidavit.
Investigators said they recovered Noem’s purse and wallet from his motel room.
In a prepared statement, Noem referred to the suspect as “a career criminal who has been in our country illegally for years.”
After the brazen heist from the Washington, D.C., restaurant on Easter Sunday, questions have swirled as to how this was possible, given that she has a security team. Two plainclothes members of her detail were at the restaurant’s bar between the family’s table and the front door.
Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi told NBC News: “For the safety of our agents and officers, we are not in a position to confirm or comment at this time. Should criminal charges be filed, the Department of Homeland Security will provide public information in accordance with established procedures.”