Noem confident suspects in purse theft undocumented

[struggle4progress]

By Tony Dokoupil, Caitlin Yilek
Updated on: April 29, 2025 / 7:47 AM EDT / CBS News

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she's "very confident" that the two people arrested in connection with the theft of her purse are in the country illegally.

"These are career criminals," Noem told CBS News in an interview at the U.S.-Mexico border on Monday. "They have perpetuated crimes against many people in this country for many years illegally."

Noem's purse was stolen April 20 when she was at a restaurant in Washington, D.C., with her family. She said the bag was sitting between her feet when it was taken ...

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kristi-noem-purse-theft-very-confident-suspects-undocumented-migrants/

[struggle4progress]

1. 2 suspects are arrested

April 29, 202511:12 PM ET
By Ayana Archie

... Mario Bustamante Leiva, 49, was arrested Saturday and charged with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and robbery, the Justice Department announced Monday ...

Leiva was allegedly seen on surveillance footage sitting in a chair close to Noem at a nearby table, according to the DOJ in a document outlining the arrest. He allegedly scooted his chair back closer to her purse, bent down with a jacket over his arm and picked up her purse from the floor, according to the document. He then allegedly tossed Noem's driver's license before more footage shows him boarding and exiting a city bus, and using her credit card to make food and alcohol purchases that totaled more than $200, the Justice Department said ...

The Justice Department said Leiva is from Chile, and that he is in the U.S. illegally. NPR has not been able to independently verify that claim ...

Leiva appeared in Superior Court Monday in D.C. for a fugitive warrant unrelated to the robberies, the Justice Department said. The DOJ did not immediately respond to NPR's questions about the warrant ...

Secret Service agents in Miami arrested a second suspect Sunday ...

https://www.npr.org/2025/04/29/nx-s1-5381410/kristi-noem-purse-theft-suspect

[misanthrope]

2. My, isn't that convenient

What are the odds?

[sheshe2]

3. Hmmm

Story has changed a bit. Original story/footage said he sat with his back to her and seemed to have a very long leg as he was able reach back and worked her purse toward him. And what about the 3K she claimed was in her purse?

Now she contradicts the police report and says it was 2 men and THEY ARE UNDOCUMENTED!

Jeebus C.

[Grammy23]

4. So if she had $3.000 cash in her designer handbag,

Why on earth would the criminal risk getting caught using a credit card? Make it make sense that he’d use her credit card for $200 worth of goods when he had all that cash. Something is not adding up.

[orleans]

7. the cash was all thousand dollar bills

and no one takes bills bigger than a fifty?



or she's a lying sack of crap?

[elleng]

9. Right,

lying sack of it.

[orleans]

12. yeah, she really is nt

[Grammy23]

13. But wait...wasn't the cash supposedly

to pay for family stuff? Like meals and buying things on their family outing? Or something like that? I am pretty sure that is what I remember as the excuse du jour for why she had so much cash.

When lies come thick and fast, it is kind of hard to keep up. I think that’s the point.

[Jack Valentino]

5. I would be GLAD to have stolen her purse, but I was born here....

actually I would like to do a lot more, and her purse would be the least of my targets....

[Skittles]

10. on the rare occasion my purse is on the floor

like at an airport, I wrap the strap around my ankle

but then, I am not head of Homeland Security

[Jack Valentino]

11. probably not carrying $3,000 in cash in it, either....

I wonder that she thinks she needs to carry that amount of cash to pay for, or half of it,
in any conceivable circumstance ???

METH, perhaps

[orleans]

6. in the country illegally, eh? i guess he/they didn't see one of the homeland cosplay commercials

about how if you're illegally in the country you should leave now or get on cosplay barbie's bad side

[elleng]

8. Bologna.

She knows they're 'plain old white guys.'