(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was eating at The Capital Burger about a mile away from the White House on Easter Sunday, when a thief stole her personal bag, which had $3,000 in cash and her passport in it.
For nearly a week, the purse thief remained at large. The New York Post reported that he was arrested Saturday—revealing suprising details about the suspect’s identity.
According to the Post, the suspect is an illegal immigrant. The thief also had an accomplice who is still on the lam. Other journalists, including Julio Rosas, for The Blaze, said the suspect is Mario Bustamante Leiva, who apparently has a long record of being a sneak thief.
BREAKING: A law enforcement source in D.C. has confirmed to me the man accused of stealing DHS Sec. Noem’s purse is Mario Bustamante Leiva. U.S. Attorney for D.C. Ed Martin has said the man is in the U.S. illegally.
A Daily Mail article from 2015 says Bustamante Leiva is Chilean… pic.twitter.com/6c1h6nPTsL
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) April 27, 2025
“The perp, who is believed to be part of a large east coast robbery crew, is expected to appear in court early next week as law enforcement hunt for his accomplice,” the Post reported, citing anonymous sources. “Officials are also looking for a second suspect who is also reportedly an illegal migrant.”
DC US Attorney Ed Martin reportedly told NBC that the theft was a random crime, and not because of Noem’s position as DHS secretary.
“It was frankly, it was a nice looking purse. This was not an amateur. This was a person, a thief, that knew how to do this. You could see how he scouted the room out,” Martin said.
It’s still unclear how the thief was able to steal the purse under the nose of Noem’s Secret Service protection.
The thief was originally reported as a white man with a surgical mask.
According to RealClearPolitics, Noem had so much cash because she was taking her entire family out shopping.
“Her entire family was in town, including her children and grandchildren — she was using the cash withdrawal to treat her family to dinner, activities, and Easter gifts,” a DHS spokesperson reportedly told RealClearPolitics.
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
