Officials arrested two illegal aliens for allegedly stealing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s Gucci purse last weekend.
Noem’s purse contained $3,000 in cash, her passport, blank checks, and her access badge.
Prosecutors filed federal charges against Chilean native Mario Bustamante-Leiva: 18 U.S.C. § 1343 (Wire Fraud), 18 U.S.C. 1028A(a)(1) (Aggravated Identity Theft), and 22 D.C. Code § 2801 (Robbery).
The charges include two robberies in the days before Bustamente-Levia allegedly took Noem’s purse.
The man who allegedly snatched the purse is from Chile. From The New York Post:
Mario Bustamante-Leiva, 49, of Santiago, was arrested Saturday after he allegedly made off with the luxury shoulder bag while Noem, 53, was at an Easter outing with her family at the Capital Burger in Washington, DC, sources told The Post.Bustamante-Leiva, who is in the US illegally, is believed to be part of a large East Coast robbery organization.Cops later arrested a second suspect — another illegal migrant — in Miami and are holding him on a deportation notice while finalizing charges, according to sources.The two suspects allegedly work together and have committed similar robbery schemes across the country, the sources said.
From the charging document:
USSS-WFO and USSS-UD personnel (collectively, the “United States Secret Service” or “Secret Service”) subsequently reviewed and obtained video from the Capital Burger. In relevant part, BUSTAMANTE LEIVA entered the business at approximately 7:52 PM and sat down at a table within arm’s reach of Victim-3. BUSTAMANTE LEIVA sat down in the chair closest to Victim-3 and pushed the chair back from his table and in the direction of Victim-3. In the context of this investigation, investigators believe this action was deliberate and done in an effort to get closer to Victim-3’s belongings. The suspect then looked downward (likely in the direction of Victim-3’s purse) and then at a child milling around nearby. CCTV footage from Capital Burger captured Victim-3’s purse at her feet and the base of her chair, and in the immediate possession of Victim-3.Seconds later, BUSTAMANTE LEVIA twisted his body to his left towards Victim-3’s purse and moved his left leg. Simultaneous to that movement, an object determined to be Victim-3’s purse was seen moving out of camera view and in the direction of the suspect (between the 49 and 51 second mark of the aforementioned video). The video then captured the suspect bend down with his jacket in one hand and, with his other hand, pick up an object from the floor that law enforcement to be Victim-3’s purse (beginning at the 1 minute and 3 second mark of the video). The entirety of the referenced video is in possession of the Secret Service.
U.S. Attorney Ed Martin believes the men targeted Noem because of the Gucci purse and not because she’s a high ranking official in President Donald Trump’s administration.
Martin told NBC News: “There is no indication it was because of that. It was frankly, it was a nice looking purse.”
I’m a luxury purse snob (My Lady Dior purse is a prized possession!) and man…When I am out, the purses do not leave my sight. I also won’t travel with them.
The New York Post linked to a 2015 Daily Mail article because Bustamante-Leiva performed the same schemes in London.
He admitted to 22 theft charges between July and December 2014:
One of London’s most prolific thieves has been jailed for three years after stealing £21,000 worth of phones, wallets and computers during a five-month crime spree.Jobless father-of-three Mario Bustamante-Leiva, 39, of no fixed address, wore a flat cap and a large overcoat even in the height of summer in order to conceal his pickings.The Chilean national trawled exclusive bars, restaurants and coffee shops looking for laptops, mobile phones, iPods and tablets.The Old Bailey heard in one case he even stole a bag containing an entire family’s passports and airplane boarding passes.Police have released CCTV footage which shows the brazen thief swipe an unsuspecting woman’s handbag from under her nose as she chats with a friend.Bustamante-Leiva can be seen hooking the bag with his foot before quickly leaving the cafe with the handbag tucked under his coat.
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