Latest news with #Bustamante-Leiva
New York Post
29-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Illegal migrant who snatched Kristi Noem's purse came ‘within arm's reach' of her while Secret Service stood guard: ‘Definite lapse'
The illegal migrant who stole Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's Gucci purse got 'within an arm's reach' of the cabinet member — despite a Secret Service detail standing guard, federal documents show. Mario Bustamante-Leiva, 49, strolled into the Capital Burger in the heart of Washington, DC, on the evening of April 20 and took a seat mere feet from Noem, 53, who was enjoying a family dinner accompanied by her Secret Service detail, according to charging documents from the US Attorney's Office of DC. 'Bustamante-Leiva entered the business at approximately 7:52 p.m. and sat down within arm's reach of [Noem],' the documents read. 'Bustamante-Leiva sat down in the chair closes to [Noem] and pushed the chair back from his table in the direction of [Noem].' 4 Mario Bustamante-Leiva was able to sit just feet from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, despite her Secret Service detail being present. Obtained by the NY Post Advertisement Restaurant security footage in the documents shows the suspect sitting at a large empty table in the well-lit dining room with his back to Noem before he used his leg to snake her cash-filled bag close enough to snatch. That means Bustamante-Leiva — an illegal migrant, homeless alcoholic and serial criminal with a laundry list of crimes going back years — was able to get within grabbing distance of the woman who has become the face of President Trump's campaign to purge the country of violent illegal migrant gangs. It's a blunder some security experts characterized as a 'definite lapse' for the Secret Service. Advertisement '[The agents] should have done their job better,' said Chris Ragone, the owner of Virginia-based Executive Security Concepts and a Navy veteran who has worked security for the likes of former presidential candidate Bob Dole and Saudi Arabian royalty. 'There should have been agents close enough to keep that guy from getting her purse like that,' he said, explaining that the suspect could easily have done far worse than snatch a purse. 'If I had a [client] in that environment, some member of that team would have had eyes on her that whole time to make sure nobody was close enough to do that,' Ragone said. 4 Bustamante-Leiva, 49, came 'within an arm's reach' of Noem, although he claims he had no idea who she was. Obtained by NY Post Advertisement The Secret Service has faced critical recent scrutiny ever since a gunman's bullet struck Trump in the ear while he was campaigning in Butler, Pa., in July. Sheer luck alone seemed to have prevented the president from being killed in that incident. A series of blunders and oversights from the Secret Service had allowed the would-be assassin to get a clear shot at Trump in the midst of a huge crowd. Just two months later, in September, another would-be assassin managed to camp out for hours with a rifle in the bushes of Trump International Golf Club in Florida waiting for Trump — and came within hundreds of yards of getting off a shot before he accidentally revealed himself. The full extent of Noem's security detail at the restaurant remains unclear — she was only described as 'under the protection of the United States Secret Service' in Bustamante-Leiva's charging documents. Advertisement Cabinet members generally do not have the same level of protection that the commander-in-chief, the first lady and the vice president are given. 4 Noem has become the face of Trump's crusade against illegal immigration and violent criminal gangs Tia Dufour/DHS Some experts think the Secret Service did all that could be asked given the circumstances. 'The short answer is no, it's not a blunder. The longer answer is it needs context,' said Donald Mihalek, a former senior special agent with the Secret Service who protected Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush when they were in office. 'She was in a public venue with her family. DC restaurants are typically close quarters. And the detail — which is pretty typical for these smaller details — is trying to give her space so she could do the family thing,' Mihalek said. 'Their mandate is to keep her safe, not worry about her pocketbook,' he said. 'If anybody tried to do something to her, I'm sure they would have been met by the detail pretty rapidly.' The Secret Service told The Post that its 'protective operations are taken extremely seriously' but that it can't comment on the nature of its protocols around Noem on April 20 as a matter of security. 4 Bustamante-Leiva used his leg to inch Noem's bag toward him. Obtained by the NY Post Advertisement 'That said, security protocols were in place for the Secretary on April 20 and the Secret Service continuously reviews its methodologies to provide the best protection possible,' an agency rep said in a statement. Bustamante-Leiva confessed to the crime after he was arrested April 26 — claiming to cops he had no idea who Noem was when shown a photo of her. Immediately after snatching the purse, he fled across town and camped out at a restaurant bar for hours before falling asleep at a table outside, where he remained all night. Advertisement In the days before the crime, he also snatched bags from at least three other people, according to prosecutors, and just weeks earlier had been arrested in New York City for similar crimes before being let go. Headlines about his crimes go back as far as 2015, when he was arrested for stealing nearly $30,000 worth of phones, wallets and computers. The Chilean national is likely to be deported.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Suspect in Noem purse snatching accused of similar crime in NY weeks before
The illegal migrant accused of snatching Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was arrested in New York City weeks earlier and released from custody, according to a New York Post report. Chilean national Mario Bustamante Leiva, 49, was arrested in Times Square after he swiped a fanny pack from an international student from India inside a Times Square dosa shop -- and then the perp racked up $1,200 in credit card charges in just 20 minutes, the victim told the outlet The NYPD gave Bustamante-Leiva a desk appearance ticket on fourth-degree felony grand larceny charges and released him, the NYPD told Fox News. Dhs Chief Kristi Noem Reveals How Her Purse Was Stolen At Restaurant: 'Professionally Done' The city's sanctuary city laws meant that the NYPD was prohibited from telling federal immigration officials that they had busted an illegal migrant. Meanwhile, Bustamante-Leiva didn't show up for his court date and became a fugitive on March 19 with officers actively looking for him, the NYPD said. Read On The Fox News App That allowed Bustamante-Leiva to target Noem on Easter Sunday when she was dining with her family at The Capital Burger in Washington, D.C., although he denied knowing that the bag belonged to the Homeland Security chief, a hardline immigration enforcer. Bustamante-Leiva is accused of nabbing Noem's luxury Gucci bag containing around $3,000 cash as well as her driver's license, passport, medication, makeup bag, blank checks, DHS badge, apartment keys and a Louis Vuitton Clemence wallet. The bag was on the floor at her table when it was stolen, according to a complaint filed with local police. Kimmel Mocks Dhs Sec Kristi Noem For Getting Robbed, Says Her Being Crime Victim Is 'Embarrassing' He was arrested on Saturday by members of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the Secret Service and initially charged with two counts of robbery, officials said. On Monday, the U.S. Secret Service filed federal criminal charges against Bustamante-Leiva, accusing him of committing three robberies between April 12, 2024, and April 20, 2025, and after each robbery, making fraudulent purchases using the credit cards obtained from each victim. Charging documents from the U.S. Attorney's office in D.C. allegedly showed Bustamante-Leiva caught on camera blowing $205.87 on food and alcohol at an Italian restaurant just minutes after he made off with Noem's shoulder bag. Security footage captured a white man in a N95 surgical mask, dark pants and a baseball cap grabbing the bag before leaving the restaurant. According to court records, Bustamante-Leiva indicated his desire to voluntarily return to New York. He is being detained at a Washington, D.C., jail until he can be released into the custody of New York officials. He will have to be returned to D.C. for any court proceedings. Bustamante-Leiva is a reported career criminal whose rap sheet also includes a 2021 shoplifting arrest in Utah and a huge bust in London in 2015, where he was arrested for a months-long theft spree and charged with swiping $28,000 in phones, wallets, and computers, according to the Post. A second man, believed to be Bustamante-Leiva's accomplice, was also arrested in the Noem theft case. The identity of the alleged accomplice has not been released, but officials said the suspect is currently being held on an immigration detainer as charges are finalized. Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner, Stepheny Price, Landon Mion and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report. Original article source: Suspect in Noem purse snatching accused of similar crime in NY weeks before
Daily Mail
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE ICE Barbie Kristi Noem's 'purse snatcher' was allowed into US legally by Biden despite being JAILED for same crime
The serial thief arrested for allegedly stealing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's Gucci purse was allowed into the US legally under Joe Biden 's watch, has learned. Mario Bustamante-Leiva, 49, was arrested this week after allegedly stealing from the Trump cabinet member at a restaurant in Washington DC, taking off with over $3,000 in cash alongside blank checks, her passport and her Homeland Security badge. Bustamante-Leiva is entered the US legally in August 2021, but 'violated the terms of his lawful admission', understands. The thief's legal entry raises questions as he previously made headlines in the UK in 2015 after being named as one of London's most prolific thieves and he received a three-year prison sentence. It is not clear how much of this sentence he served, however he was able to clear strict US immigration laws on allowing convicted criminals into the country years after his prison sentence. After his high-profile arrest, officials said a second suspect, named as Christian Rodrigo Montecino-Sanzana, 51, was also detained as an alleged accomplice of Bustamante-Leiva. In a statement to a spokesperson for ICE said that both men are illegal immigrants from Chile, and after their arrests by the US Secret Service, 'ICE has lodged immigration detainers against both individuals. It comes as newly released court documents revealed that Bustamante-Leiva immediately used Noem's credit card on a boozy night out before sensationally calling the cops on himself when he was thieved as he slept outside. In the court documents revealed on Monday, it was claimed that Bustamante-Leiva swiped Noem's bag at the Capital Burger restaurant before going to Angolo Ristorante Italiano restaurant, where he 'stayed until about midnight' drinking at the bar. He is accused of spending $205.87 of Noem's money inside the establishment - and cops released images of him chatting on the phone with her large designer handbag, wallet, and American Express card on the table in front of him. The career criminal then fell asleep on an outdoor table at the restaurant until 7.30am the next morning. However when he woke up, he realized his belongings, including a Chilean passport and $1,000 in cash, had been stolen. When he was finally apprehended by police he was caught with a fake California ID in his possession and admitted to stealing Noem's purse. Bustamante-Leiva - who had been living illegally in the US for years - was shown a picture of the top cabinet member by police, but he said he had no idea who she was. When he stole from Noem, Bustamante-Leiva sat alone at a table next to the secretary and was able to snatch her purse while no one was looking, according to police When he stole from Noem, Bustamante-Leiva sat alone at a table 'within arms reach' of her, and used a sneaky method to move her handbag closer to him, according to cops who say he has used the same tactic many times before. He sat behind Noem and 'pushed the chair back from his table and in the direction of' the DHS Secretary, in a 'deliberate' move 'to get closer to (her) belongings', the documents state. Bustamante-Leiva then 'looked downward' in the direction of her purse, and 'then at a child milling about nearby', before he 'twisted his body left towards (Noem's) purse and moved his leg'. He swept her Gucci handbag toward himself with his leg, and surveillance footage then showed him 'bend down with his jacket in one hand and, with his other hand, pick up' the handbag. With the bag under his arm, the longtime thief then bolted to the nearby bar. According to the court documents, Bustamante-Leiva had stolen from two other unsuspecting victims in just over a week before targeting Noem. The suspect was found with a fake California ID when he was arrested, the newly released court filings showed After he was nabbed by the Secret Service, Bustamante-Leiva told officers he was an alcoholic and suffered from 'memory issues', before admitting to stealing Noem's handbag. The court documents noted that he was 'somewhat uncooperative and smelled heavily of alcohol.' He said that he kept her purse and wallet, but threw the rest of the contents in the trash - including Noem's driving license - as he made his escape. In surveillance images included in the filing, a man alleged to be Bustamante-Leiva was seen at various stores and bars using the credit cards, and after stealing from Noem was noted as wearing a dark colored jacket with a thick white collar, jeans, a white Covid-style mask, and a dark colored hat to hide his face. When he was taken into custody, Bustamante-Leiva was transported to hospital after 'complaining of alcohol withdrawal', the court documents stated. He was then released and transported to Secret Service headquarters, where he was interrogated by agents, and claimed that when he was stolen from outside the restaurant he was targeted by 'five black males.' Investigators believe the suspect is part of a wider criminal organization terrorizing the East Coast - but Bustamante-Leiva has a lengthy, transatlantic criminal record to his name. After his 2014 arrest in London, he was jailed in the UK for three years after stealing $27,957 worth of phones, wallets and computers during a five-month crime spree. Bustamante-Leiva was a jobless father-of-three at the time with no fixed address. The Chilean national trawled exclusive bars, restaurants and coffee shops looking for laptops, mobile phones, iPods and tablets. In 2015, the Old Bailey court in London heard in one case he even stole a bag containing an entire family's passports and airplane boarding passes. Police released CCTV footage which showed the brazen thief swipe an unsuspecting woman's handbag from under her nose as she chats with a friend. He admitted 22 charges of theft between July and December 2014. Noem thanked law enforcement for arresting the suspected thief. She wrote on Sunday: 'Thank you to Secret Service and ICE and our law enforcement partners for finding and arresting the criminal who stole my bag on Easter Sunday as I shared a meal with my family at a Washington DC restaurant. 'This individual is a career criminal who has been in our country illegally for years. '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.'
Fox News
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Suspect in Noem purse snatching accused of similar crime in NY weeks before
The illegal migrant accused of snatching Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was arrested in New York City weeks earlier and released from custody, according to a New York Post report. Chilean national Mario Bustamante Leiva, 49, was arrested in Times Square after he swiped a fanny pack from an international student from India inside a Times Square dosa shop -- and then the perp racked up $1,200 in credit card charges in just 20 minutes, the victim told the outlet The NYPD gave Bustamante-Leiva a desk appearance ticket on fourth-degree felony grand larceny charges and released him. The city's sanctuary city laws meant that the NYPD was prohibited from telling federal immigration officials that they had busted an illegal migrant. Meanwhile, Bustamante-Leiva didn't show up for his court date and officers went looking for him, law enforcement sources told the outlet. That allowed Bustamante-Leiva to target Noem on Easter Sunday when she was dining with her family at The Capital Burger in Washington, D.C., although he denied knowing that the bag belonged to the Homeland Security chief, a hardline immigration enforcer. Bustamante-Leiva is accused of nabbing Noem's luxury Gucci bag containing around $3,000 cash as well as her driver's license, passport, medication, makeup bag, blank checks, DHS badge, apartment keys and a Louis Vuitton Clemence wallet. The bag was on the floor at her table when it was stolen, according to a complaint filed with local police. He was arrested on Saturday by members of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the Secret Service and initially charged with two counts of robbery, officials said. On Monday, the U.S. Secret Service filed federal criminal charges against Bustamante-Leiva, accusing him of committing three robberies between April 12, 2024, and April 20, 2025, and after each robbery, making fraudulent purchases using the credit cards obtained from each victim. Charging documents from the U.S. Attorney's office in D.C. allegedly showed Bustamante-Leiva caught on camera blowing $205.87 on food and alcohol at an Italian restaurant just minutes after he made off with Noem's shoulder bag. Security footage captured a white man in a N95 surgical mask, dark pants and a baseball cap grabbing the bag before leaving the restaurant. Bustamante-Leiva is a reported career criminal whose rap sheet also includes a 2021 shoplifting arrest in Utah and a huge bust in London in 2015, where he was arrested for a months-long theft spree and charged with swiping $28,000 in phones, wallets, and computers, according to the Post. A second man, believed to be Bustamante-Leiva's accomplice, was also arrested in the Noem theft case. The identity of the alleged accomplice has not been released, but officials said the suspect is currently being held on an immigration detainer as charges are finalized.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Illegal migrant accused of snatching Kristi Noem's Gucci purse was free after similar crime in NYC last month
This guy's a Noem criminal. The illegal migrant who was busted for snatching Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's Gucci purse was picked up by cops in New York for a similar crime just a few weeks earlier — but they let him go with a desk appearance ticket and a court date. The NYPD's warrant squad was hunting for Chilean national Mario Bustamante-Leiva, 49 — because he never showed up to court — when he allegedly ripped off Noem during Easter dinner with her family at a Washington, DC, burger bar, law enforcement sources told The Post. After swiping Noem's purse — which contained $3,000 cash, her passport, wallet and government ID — he hopped a bus and sidled up to the bar at Angolo Ristorante Italiano in DC, where he boozed it up until midnight and rang up $205.87 on the DHS honcho's American Express, according to documents released by prosecutors Monday. The feds also released surveillance images of Bustamante-Leiva wearing a white face mask and a baseball cap before and after he allegedly stole Noem's $4,000 luxury bag from under her feet at The Capital Burger. Another picture allegedly showed the accused serial thief at Angolo — Noem's Gucci bag clearly in view — while chatting on the cell phone. The high-profile theft was the fourth he pulled off in eight days, authorities said. He copped to stealing Noem's bag, but said he didn't know who she was when he snatched the pricey bag from the floor while she dined, according to court docs. Bustamante-Leiva's rap sheet also includes a 2021 shoplifting arrest in Utah and a headline-grabbing bust across the pond in London in 2015, where he was arrested for a months-long theft spree and charged with palming $28,000 in phones, wallets, and computers. He landed on NYPD's radar on March 2 after he swiped a fanny pack from a Times Square dosa shop and racked up $1,200 in credit card charges in just 20 minutes, according to the victim, an international student from India. The victim told The Post that he forgot his bag at the eatery for just a few minutes, and it was gone when he came back. Good Samaritans pointed out the thief, whom he described as a 'little old man' wearing a COVID mask. Cops swooped on Bustamante-Leiva in about 30 minutes, but the damage was already done, and the student had tons of unauthorized charges on his card, he said. The victim, who lives in Jersey City and asked not to be named, said he's furious that Bustamante-Leiva was let go with just a desk appearance ticket after being arrested. 'That's insane. I don't know how he was let out after that without any reason,' the student said. 'I mean, putting in so much effort and then coming to the States and experiencing something like that intrigued my frightened side.' He said he's still out $500 that the credit card company never reimbursed him for. After his arrest, NYPD cops gave Bustamante-Leiva, who said he lived in the Bronx, a desk appearance ticket on fourth-degree felony grand larceny charges and released him. When he didn't show up for his court date, officers went looking for him, law enforcement sources said. New York's sanctuary laws meant that the NYPD was not allowed to report him to federal immigration authorities, despite being in the country illegally. 'Years ago, people would be held on ICE detainers if somebody was known to be in the country unlawfully and committed crimes,' former Manhattan prosecutor Mark A. Bederow fumed. 'That would be a no-brainer hold … these kinds of crimes would not be committed if the policies were stronger. That's just the reality.' It's unclear whether Bustamante-Leiva's previous busts showed up on his criminal record when Manhattan cops arrested him and let him go. It's common for the NYPD to hand out tickets and court dates to people arrested for lower-level theft, even if it's a felony. Bustamante-Leiva and his accomplice in the Noem bag snatch, Cristian Rodrigo Montecino-Sanzana, are believed to be part of a large East Coast robbery organization, sources said. The two men allegedly worked together and have committed similar robbery schemes across the US, sources said. Bustamante-Leiva told investigators that he's an alcoholic and that he has memory problems, but he clearly remembered taking the Gucci bag. He said he kept the wallet and the purse — but dumped the other contents in the trash, according to docs. He claimed to have no idea who Noem was and didn't remember who he stole from. In addition to his splurge at the DC red-sauce joint, feds accused Bustamante-Leiva of using the ill-gotten gains from a string of other robberies nearby in the preceding days – again blowing other people's cash to buy booze, including a bottle of Josh cabernet sauvignon at a DC supermarket. He also bought gift cards worth hundreds of dollars with credit cards and cash from stolen bags, prosecutors said. In those incidents – two on April 17, at a DC coffee shop and a Westin Hotel restaurant, and one at another restaurant on April 12 — Bustamante-Leiva demonstrated his sticky-fingered prowess by slyly approaching his victims and slipping bags from their chairs, or using his legs to covertly inch their belongings closer to him, security footage showed. In the April 12 theft, he was careful to slip a jacket over his arm before approaching his victim, and with the help of an accomplice, allegedly swiped the bag from his victim and hid it under his coat before walking off. He used credit cards from that theft for stays at a Motel 6 and a Quality Inn over the following days, the documents alleged. Bustamante-Leiva was taken into custody in Washington, DC, on Saturday, while his alleged accomplice was nabbed in Miami on Sunday. Additional reporting by Priscilla DeGregory, Emily Crane, and Alex Oliveira.
