Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says in a new interview that she’s “very confident” that the two suspects arrested in connection with the theft of her Gucci handbag as she dined with her family in a restaurant on Easter Sunday are repeat offenders and are in the United States illegally.
“These are career criminals,” Noem told CBS News’ Tony Dokoupil, who interviewed her at the U.S.-Mexico border Monday. “They have perpetuated crimes against many people in this country for many years illegally.”
Noem’s purse was snatched from the floor between her feet while she and her family were eating at the Capital Burger, an upscale specialty restaurant in downtown Washington, D.C.
The Secret Service, which provides security for Noem, reviewed the restaurant’s security camera footage and reported seeing a white man wearing a medical mask steal the handbag and leave the restaurant.
She told Dokoupil that she does not believe that the thief targeted her, and that it was a coincidence that it was her purse that was stolen.
“But he was professional in how he took it,” Noem said. “So, you know, this is what Americans shouldn’t have to live with. It’s not about me and it’s not about my family, as much as it is about, you know, that people live in communities that have been going through this for many, many years.
“So the more that we can bring these people in and have them face consequences and get them out of our country, the safer America will be.”
Noem had several sensitive personal items in her purse, including her DHS access badge, driver’s license, passports, checks, credit cards, and about $3,000 in cash, according to law enforcement officials. Her cellphone was not in the bag.
One of the suspects, Mario Bustamante-Leiva, 49, was arrested on Saturday in Washington, D.C. He is facing charges of wire fraud, identity theft, and robbery in connection with three purse snatchings in April, according to the DOJ.
Bustamante-Leiva is a Chilean national and in the United States illegally, the department alleged.
Charging documents from the U.S. attorney’s office in D.C. staid that Bustamante-Leiva was caught on camera minutes later at the nearby Angolo Ristorante Italiano restaurant, allegedly running up a bill of $205.87 on food and alcohol on Noem’s American Express card, reported the New York Post.
The second suspect, Cristian Rodrigo Montecino-Sanzana, 51, was arrested at a Walgreens in Miami Beach, the Secret Service has confirmed. He is also reportedly from Chile.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement had filed immigration detainers for both men.
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