Latest news with #TheCapitalBurger
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal charges filed against alleged Kristi Noem purse thief
Federal prosecutors have filed charges against the man accused of stealing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse, including thousands of dollars she had in cash, earlier this month at The Capital Burger restaurant in Washington, DC. The man, Mario Bustamante Leiva, has been charged with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and robbery. Leiva also appeared in DC's Superior Court Monday on a fugitive warrant unrelated to the robbery. According to a statement by prosecutors Monday, Leiva is a Chilean national and resides in the US unlawfully. No lawyer is listed for Leiva and no date has been set for an arraignment. In federal court documents, prosecutors allege that in the past several weeks Leiva had stolen two other purses from victims around DC and that Leiva, who was unhoused before his arrest, reported recently that he was the victim of a robbery himself. 'Thanks to the efforts of the Secret Service working in concert with the Metropolitan Police Department, this alleged thief was quickly identified, arrested, and, with the deft management of the Assistant US Attorney, charged,' US Attorney Edward Martin said in the statement. 'He will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.' Prosecutors say that Leiva used his leg to push Noem's purse – located on the ground – closer to him before bending down with his jacket in one hand, to take the purse in his other hand. After tossing out Noem's driver's license following the theft, Leiva went to a bar and used the secretary's credit card to buy alcohol and food. Leiva was arrested on Saturday after investigators tracked purchases made from allegedly stolen credit cards to a motel room in DC. Missing in Monday's court filings were details of how Noem, a protectee of the Secret Service, was so easily made the victim of a public theft. According to one law enforcement source, Noem noticed her purse was missing after getting up from her table. The secretary then notified her Secret Service detail – which was inside the restaurant with Noem, according to the source – of the theft, court documents say. The stolen bag carried a Louis Vuitton Clemence wallet, Noem's driver's license, medication, apartment keys, passport, DHS access badge, makeup bag, blank checks and about $3,000 in cash, multiple sources previously told CNN. In interviews with investigators, according to court filings, Leiva said he was an alcoholic and admitted to stealing Noem's purse, according to court documents, and detailed how he used his feet to scoot the purse closer to him. Leiva told investigators he had no prior knowledge of who Noem was. Leiva also identified himself from a news story of a series of thefts in London in 2014. Investigators recovered over $3,000 along with Noem's purse and wallet and a 5 Euro note from the motel room where Leiva was allegedly staying. This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN
28-04-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Federal charges filed against alleged Kristi Noem purse thief
Federal prosecutors have filed charges against the man accused of stealing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse, including thousands of dollars she had in cash, earlier this month at The Capital Burger restaurant in Washington, DC. The man, Mario Bustamante Leiva, has been charged with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and robbery. Leiva also appeared in DC's Superior Court Monday on a fugitive warrant unrelated to the robbery. According to a statement by prosecutors Monday, Leiva is a Chilean national and resides in the US unlawfully. No lawyer is listed for Leiva and no date has been set for an arraignment. In federal court documents, prosecutors allege that in the past several weeks Leiva had stolen two other purses from victims around DC and that Leiva, who was unhoused before his arrest, reported recently that he was the victim of a robbery himself. 'Thanks to the efforts of the Secret Service working in concert with the Metropolitan Police Department, this alleged thief was quickly identified, arrested, and, with the deft management of the Assistant US Attorney, charged,' US Attorney Edward Martin said in the statement. 'He will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.' Prosecutors say that Leiva used his leg to push Noem's purse – located on the ground – closer to him before bending down with his jacket in one hand, to take the purse in his other hand. After tossing out Noem's driver's license following the theft, Leiva went to a bar and used the secretary's credit card to buy alcohol and food. Leiva was arrested on Saturday after investigators tracked purchases made from allegedly stolen credit cards to a motel room in DC. Missing in Monday's court filings were details of how Noem, a protectee of the Secret Service, was so easily made the victim of a public theft. According to one law enforcement source, Noem noticed her purse was missing after getting up from her table. The secretary then notified her Secret Service detail – which was inside the restaurant with Noem, according to the source – of the theft, court documents say. The stolen bag carried a Louis Vuitton Clemence wallet, Noem's driver's license, medication, apartment keys, passport, DHS access badge, makeup bag, blank checks and about $3,000 in cash, multiple sources previously told CNN. In interviews with investigators, according to court filings, Leiva said he was an alcoholic and admitted to stealing Noem's purse, according to court documents, and detailed how he used his feet to scoot the purse closer to him. Leiva told investigators he had no prior knowledge of who Noem was. Leiva also identified himself from a news story of a series of thefts in London in 2014. Investigators recovered over $3,000 along with Noem's purse and wallet and a 5 Euro note from the motel room where Leiva was allegedly staying. This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN
28-04-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Federal charges filed against alleged Kristi Noem purse thief
Federal prosecutors have filed charges against the man accused of stealing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse, including thousands of dollars she had in cash, earlier this month at The Capital Burger restaurant in Washington, DC. The man, Mario Bustamante Leiva, has been charged with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and robbery. Leiva also appeared in DC's Superior Court Monday on a fugitive warrant unrelated to the robbery. According to a statement by prosecutors Monday, Leiva is a Chilean national and resides in the US unlawfully. No lawyer is listed for Leiva and no date has been set for an arraignment. In federal court documents, prosecutors allege that in the past several weeks Leiva had stolen two other purses from victims around DC and that Leiva, who was unhoused before his arrest, reported recently that he was the victim of a robbery himself. 'Thanks to the efforts of the Secret Service working in concert with the Metropolitan Police Department, this alleged thief was quickly identified, arrested, and, with the deft management of the Assistant US Attorney, charged,' US Attorney Edward Martin said in the statement. 'He will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.' Prosecutors say that Leiva used his leg to push Noem's purse – located on the ground – closer to him before bending down with his jacket in one hand, to take the purse in his other hand. After tossing out Noem's driver's license following the theft, Leiva went to a bar and used the secretary's credit card to buy alcohol and food. Leiva was arrested on Saturday after investigators tracked purchases made from allegedly stolen credit cards to a motel room in DC. In interviews with investigators, according to court filings, Leiva said he was an alcoholic and admitted to stealing Noem's purse, according to court documents, and detailed how he used his feet to scoot the purse closer to him. Leiva told investigators he had no prior knowledge of who Noem was. Leiva also identified himself from a news story of a series of thefts in London in 2014. Investigators recovered over $3,000 along with Noem's purse and wallet and a 5 Euro note from the motel room where Leiva was allegedly staying.
Daily Mail
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Trump's border czar breaks silence on illegal migrant who stole ICE Barbie Kristi Noem's $3K purse
Border Czar Tom Homan said criminals picked the wrong target when they stole Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse last week. Two men were arrested in connection to the theft – one Homan claims is an illegal immigrant. But Homan, 63, claims that Noem, 53, is not one to be messed with. '[They] picked the wrong person to steal a purse from,' Homan told reporters at Monday's White House press briefing. 'I mean, Secretary Noem is a strong, strong secretary.' 'I know I've been talking about the success of the men and women of the Border Patrol and ICE, but under her strong leadership – she's a game changer,' he lauded. Noem, dubbed ICE Barbie for her glamorous appearances at illegal immigration raids, had her designer purse with $3,000 in cash stolen from under her nose while dining with her family on Easter Sunday at The Capital Burger. Noem, 53, was dining with her family at The Capital Burger in downtown DC on Easter Sunday when a man in a medical mask was able to sneak off with her Gucci bag, which contained $3,000 in cash The incident occurred just a mile from the White House and resulted in the arrest of two individuals connected to the crime. The primary suspect is Mario Bustamante-Leiva, a 49-year-old Chilean national with a long history of international theft. He was taken into custody in Washington, D.C. on Saturday. And now law enforcement sources say police have captured and arrested in Miami his alleged accomplice. The pair are thought to be part of an organized East Coast robbery ring accused of terrorizing patrons of upscale restaurants, hotels and coffee shops from New York down to Florida. 'I don't have their criminal history, but I know the one that stole the purse is supposedly in the country illegally,' Homan said of Bustamante-Leiva during a briefing on President Donald Trump's immigration agenda over his first 100 days back in office. Homan and Noem have worked in close coordination to crack down on migration and the southern border crisis. 'I'm happy to work with her despite the media I've read [claiming] that me and Kristi Noem have differences,' Homan said. 'Me and Kristi Noem are attached at the hip, there's no daylight between us. We're both going to push the president's agenda.' The brazenness of the theft against Noem was carried out in broad daylight while she was surrounded by family on Easter Sunday last weekend. It stunned politicians and law enforcement because the victim is the nation's top DHS official and under 24/7 Secret Service protection. It also serves to underscore the crime that Noem and Homan are seeking to stop by kicking out those living in the U.S. illegally.
New York Times
27-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Authorities Make Arrest Linked to Noem's Stolen Purse
Investigators have arrested a person accused of being involved in the theft of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's handbag at an upscale Washington hamburger restaurant last weekend, the Secret Service said Sunday. Matt McCool, a special agent at the Secret Service, said in a statement that the suspect did not seem to have targeted Ms. Noem because of her position. He did not release the suspect's name, but he described the person as 'a serial offender' who had tried to use Ms. Noem's credit card and gain access to her electronic devices. Ms. Noem's purse was snatched from underneath her chair on April 20, Easter Sunday, as she dined with her family at The Capital Burger in downtown Washington. The bag contained the secretary's driver's license, medication, apartment keys, blank checks, department badge, passport and $3,000 in cash. Ms. Noem's spokeswoman previously said that the thief had hooked the secretary's bag with his foot, dragged it across the floor and put a coat over it before leaving the restaurant. Although several Secret Service agents were accompanying Ms. Noem, they were more than 20 feet away from her at the time to give her privacy to enjoy a meal with her family. In a social media post about the arrest, Ms. Noem described the suspect as a 'career criminal' and a foreign national who had enter the United States illegally. The Secret Service did not confirm Ms. Noem's allegation but directed the questions to federal prosecutors assigned to the case. Ed Martin, the interim U.S. attorney in Washington, said the suspect had entered the United States illegally and that law enforcement officials were seeking more people connected to the theft. Mr. McCool, the Secret Service agent, said in a statement that five law enforcement agencies, including Washington's Metropolitan Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, were involved in the investigation. The theft was the latest episode that raised questions about the Secret Service, which has been under intense scrutiny since Donald J. Trump was the target of two assassination attempts last year as a presidential candidate.
