Man who stole Noem's purse in a restaurant is sent to prison for 3 years

A man who stole a purse from then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem while she dined at a restaurant under the protection of Secret Service agents has been sentenced to three years in prison for a string of thefts in the nation’s capital.

Prosecutors say Mario Bustamante Leiva didn’t recognize Noem when he grabbed her Gucci handbag from the floor of a restaurant where she was eating with her family in April 2025.

Bustamante Leiva is a 50-year-old native of Chile and he's facing deportation after the sentence imposed Wednesday by a federal judge in the District of Columbia.