Arrest made in Noem purse-snatching case. She calls him a ‘career criminal.’ - The Boston Globe (2025)

“This individual is a career criminal who has been in our country illegally for years,” Noem said in statement provided to The Washington Post through a spokeswoman. “Unfortunately, so many families in this country have been made victims by crime, and that’s why President Trump is working every single day to make America safe and get these criminal aliens off of our streets.”

On the social media platform X, interim D.C. U.S. attorney Ed Martin added: “This repeat offender will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. ‘No one is above the law.’”

D.C. police on Sunday identified the suspect in the robberies at the Westin and on F Street as Mario Bustamante Leiva, 49. They said he has been charged with two counts of robbery in those cases. In those cases, police said, the purses were stolen from the backs of chairs.

The statement appears to reference the Noem purse-snatching, noting that Leiva “faces additional charges for an offense being investigated by the United States Secret Service.” Three law enforcement officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the operation is ongoing, said the Secret Service case also involves Leiva.

A statement from the Secret Service, which does not name Leiva, says Noem was not targeted because of her role. It describes the suspect as a “serial offender” and says the investigators found a device during their investigation that could be used to commit credit card fraud.

Authorities said formal charges could be filed Monday in U.S. District Court. It could not be determined on Sunday if Leiva has an attorney.

Noem was dining last Sunday with her extended family at Capital Burger on Seventh Street in Northwest Washington when a person wearing a medical mask walked out with her purse. The bag contained Noem’s driver’s license, medication, keys, checks, department badge, passport and $3,000 cash.

The Secret Service, which runs a permanent protective detail for Noem, launched an investigation into the theft.

Representatives from Department of Homeland Security and the office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia did not immediately respond to requests for comment Sunday morning.

DHS said in an earlier emailed statement that Noem had withdrawn a large amount of cash because her children and grandchildren were in town for the Easter holiday. “She was using the withdrawal to treat her family to dinner, activities, and Easter gifts,” the statement read.

D.C. police reports provide details about the other robberies. On April 13, according to a report, a woman from Spain had her purse taken as she dined at Nando’s Penn Quarter in the 800 block of F Street NW. The woman told police she had been eating dinner with a friend when she noticed her small black handbag and green coin purse were missing, along with her identification card, passport and 453 Euros, according to the report. It says a security camera captured a man taking the items and leaving.

Four days later, according to a report, a woman visiting from Massachusetts had her black bag taken from a chair at the Westin Hotel in the 900 block of 9th Street NW. The purse contained credit cards and her driver’s license, the report says.