The illegal immigrant who purse snatched then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem received a three-year prison sentence this week.
Chilean national Mario Bustamante Leiva, 50, stole Noem’s Gucci bag, which had $3,000 cash, her passport, wallet, and government ID inside last April while she was having Easter dinner with family at the Capital Burger in Northwest Washington, D.C., authorities said.
After he serves his time, Bustamante Leiva will be subject to deportation, according to the Department of Justice.
It was his fourth theft in eight days, the Justice Department said. Before that, he was arrested in Utah in 2021 for shoplifting and in London in 2015 for a months-long theft spree, according to the New York Post.
He was also let go by authorities in New York City last March after allegedly stealing a fanny pack from a food cart. The victim of that crime, who was a legal immigrant, previously told the New York Post that the suspect racked up $1,200 in credit card charges in just 20 minutes.
“That’s insane. I don’t know how he was let out after that without any reason,” the man said at the time.
“I mean, putting in so much effort and then coming to the States and experiencing something like that intrigued my frightened side,” he added.
Bustamante Leiva pleaded guilty Nov. 21, 2025, to three counts of wire fraud and one count of first-degree theft for his role in Noem’s purse-snatching.
“Bustamante Leiva came to Washington illegally to prey on citizens of the District. He methodically targeted women at restaurants, stealing their purses, and monetizing the stolen cards within minutes,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a statement Wednesday.
“His pattern of theft ends here. He will serve his prison term and be deported,” she said.
After the theft, Bustamante Leiva went to a nearby restaurant, where surveillance cameras captured him holding Noem’s purse, wallet, and at least four of her credit cards, which he used to make a purchase, according to the Justice Department.
Police arrested the illegal immigrant on April 26, 2025, at a D.C. motel, where they found Noem’s purse and wallet, along with a gift card he had purchased with a stolen card and more than $3,000 in cash.
Bustamante Leiva entered the United States at the Orlando International Airport in August 2021. At the time, he was granted a visa waiver that allowed him to stay in the country until Nov. 13, 2021.
The Chilean national never left and overstayed his permission to remain in the country, making him an illegal immigrant.
Bustamante Leiva’s co-defendant Cristian Rodrigo Montecino-Sanzana was sentenced on March 13, 2026, to 13 months behind bars and three years of supervised release for his role in one of Bustamante Leiva’s thefts. He is also expected to face deportation after serving his sentence.
