The illegal immigrant who allegedly stole Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s purse in Washington, D.C., committed a similar crime in New York City last month, according to a new report.
Mario Bustamante Leiva, a 49-year-old Chilean national, was arrested in Times Square on March 2 after snatching an international student’s fanny pack and spending $1,200 in credit card charges over the course of 20 minutes, the New York Post reported, citing law enforcement sources and the affected victim. Police officers apprehended the thief in about 30 minutes from the time he stole the bag.
However, the criminal was subsequently released with a desk appearance ticket on fourth-degree grand larceny charges. The written notice instructed him to appear in court, but after he never showed up, officers started searching for him.
The New York Police Department did not inform federal immigration authorities about the illegal alien, as the police force is restricted from doing so under the city’s sanctuary laws except in limited circumstances.
Bustamante Leiva later popped up on law enforcement’s radar after he snatched Noem’s Gucci purse while she was dining with her family on Easter Sunday at a D.C. burger bar. The masked thief denied knowing he stole belongings from the Trump administration’s Homeland Security secretary.
He was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department on Saturday after authorities reviewed surveillance footage of the suspect, who racked up more than $200 on Noem’s credit card. Her purse contained $3,000 in cash in addition to her wallet, passport, DHS badge, and other personal items.
The day before the incident, Bustamante Leiva reported a robbery of his bag to the Montgomery County Police Department in Maryland. The bag was stolen while he slept on a bench. It appears he stole Noem’s bag to make up for his lost belongings.
On Monday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia charged Bustamante Leiva with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and robbery. Noem was one of three victims targeted by the suspect. The other two women were dining in D.C. on April 12 and 17, respectively, when the 49-year-old man stole their purses and made unauthorized charges worth $500 and $400 to their credit cards.
In 2015, he was caught for a similar scheme in London. He stole nearly $28,000 worth of phones, wallets, and computers during a five-month robbery spree, the Daily Mail reported at the time.
Bustamante Leiva had an accomplice whom police identified as Cristian Rodrigo Montecino-Sanzana, who was arrested in Miami on Sunday in connection with the snatching of Noem’s purse. The second suspect is also an illegal immigrant from Chile.
“These are career criminals,” Noem told CBS News at the southern border on Monday. “They have perpetuated crimes against many people in this country for many years illegally.”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged an immigration detainer against Bustamante Leiva, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. He appeared in D.C.’s Superior Court on Monday for unrelated fugitive charges. His appearance in federal court for the purse-snatching charges has not yet been finalized.
No details have been publicly released on the length of time Bustamante Leiva has lived in the U.S. illegally.
But Montecino-Sanzana has been staying in the U.S. illegally since January 2021 when he was released into the country, according to the Post. He crossed the southern border, despite receiving a notice of expedited removal the month before.
During his bond court appearance on Monday, Montecino-Sanzana was informed by a Florida judge that he was being charged with possession of a stolen or fictitious driver’s license. He had fake identification from California at the time of his arrest, police said.