The U.S. Secret Service filed federal criminal charges against a man accused of snatching Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s purse while she was out with her family on Easter eating lunch.
The criminal complaint filed in court on Monday charges 49-year-old Mario Bustamante Leiva with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and robbery.
The complaint alleges that Bustamante Leiva committed three robberies between April 12, 2024, and April 20, 2025, and after each robbery, he made fraudulent purchases using the credit cards obtained from each victim.
He was ultimately arrested on Saturday by members of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the Secret Service.
SUSPECT ARRESTED FOR ALLEGED THEFT OF KRISTI NOEM’S BAG CONTAINING $3K IN CASH: REPORTS
Authorities say Bustamante Leiva is an illegally present Chilean national, and in each ruse, he approached victims as they ate in a restaurant, stole their purses from the back of their seats, and then fled the scene.
Detectives located video evidence of the thefts, which led them to identify the alleged suspect as Bustamante Leiva. He was arrested on Saturday and initially charged with two counts of robbery, though additional charges were pending for an additional offense being investigated by the Secret Service, officials said.
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Noem was with her family on Easter Sunday at The Capital Burger in Washington, D.C., when the suspect nabbed her luxury bag containing the cash as well as her driver’s license, passport, medication, makeup bag, blank checks, DHS badge, apartment keys and a Louis Vuitton Clemence wallet.
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The bag was on the floor at her table when it was stolen, according to a complaint filed with local police.
Security footage captured a White man in a N95 surgical mask, dark pants and a baseball cap grabbing the bag before leaving the restaurant.
Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price, Landon Mion and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
