Alleged DHS Sec. Kristi Noem thief hit with federal prices

A person accused of stealing the purse of Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem at a restaurant whereas she was below Secret Service safety was charged Monday by federal prosecutors with that and two different alleged bag thefts in Washington, D.C., a courtroom submitting reveals.

The defendant, Mario Bustamente Leiva, is charged with theft, wire fraud and aggravated id theft in reference to the three alleged thefts between April 12 and 20, the third of which concerned Noem as she dined together with her household for Easter at Capital Burger.

“Following every theft, Bustamente Leiva made fraudulent purchases utilizing the bank cards obtained from the sufferer of every theft,” a U.S. Secret Service agent wrote in a criticism in opposition to the Chilean nationwide in U.S. District Courtroom in D.C.

Bustamente Leiva, a 49-year-old who prosecutors say is within the nation illegally, was arrested Saturday in a D.C. motel.

His alleged confederate within the April 12 theft was arrested Sunday in South Florida, in line with the Secret Service. That second man was not recognized.

A felony criticism says that Secret Service officers who executed a search warrant within the motel room the place Bustamente Leiva was arrested discovered Noem’s purse and pockets, an American Specific reward card, greater than $3,170 in money and clothes that seems to match a jacket and sneakers he wore when he allegedly dedicated the robberies on April 17 and 20.

Noem’s bag contained $3,000 in money when it was swiped, authorities have mentioned.

The criticism additionally says that after stealing Noem’s purse, Bustamente Leiva used a number of of her bank cards to purchase meals and alcohol at an Italian restaurant, and that he finally spent greater than $205 in 5 purchases charged to her American Specific playing cards.

When he was arrested on Saturday on the motel, Bustamente Leiva was taken to a hospital after complaining of alcohol withdrawal, in line with the courtroom submitting.

After he was cleared from the hospital, he was interviewed by D.C. police and a Secret Service agent.

He “said that he was an alcoholic and subsequently that he has reminiscence points,” however admitted to stealing Noem’s bag, the criticism mentioned.

After being proven a photograph of Noem, he “denied having any prior information of who” Noem was, the criticism mentioned.

Underneath D.C. regulation, somebody is responsible of theft in the event that they, “by pressure or violence, whether or not in opposition to resistance or by sudden or stealthy seizure or snatching, or by placing in concern, shall take from the individual or instant precise possession of one other something of worth.”

The criticism particulars 4 thefts involving Bustamente Leiva, three of which he’s charged with.

Within the April 20 incident, the one involving Noem, surveillance video confirmed the Homeland Safety secretary eating on the Capital Burger restaurant and noticing that her purse, which she had positioned at her toes, was lacking. She then notified her Secret Service element.

When investigators checked out earlier footage, they noticed Bustamente Leiva enter the restaurant at about 7:52 p.m. and sit “down at a desk inside an arm’s attain of” Noem,” the criticism says.

Footage confirmed Bustamente Leiva twisting his physique towards Noem’s purse and shifting his left leg, apparently to tug the purse towards him, in line with the criticism.

“The video then captured the suspect bend down together with his jacket in a single hand and, together with his different hand, choose up an object from the ground that regulation enforcement decided to be [Noem’s] purse,” the criticism mentioned.

That alleged theft was the fourth one which authorities say Bustamente Leiva dedicated in simply over every week’s time.

Within the first incident, on April 12, a girl advised police that her purse had been taken from the again of her chair whereas she was eating at Nando’s restaurant on F road in Northwest D.C. Surveillance video revealed Bustamente Leiva “stealthily eradicating” the sufferer’s “purse from the again of her chair and exiting the Nando’s,” the criticism mentioned.

“Throughout this offense, Bustamente Leiva gave the impression to be performing in live performance with a second particular person, Suspect-2,” in line with that submitting.

After that theft, the 2 males seen on the video went to a Safeway grocery retailer, the place the person recognized as Suspect-2 purchased a $500 Visa reward card utilizing the sufferer’s bank card.

Over the subsequent 4 days, the reward card was used to make $462 value of prices, together with an April 12 transaction for a keep on the Motel 6 the place Bustamente Leiva was arrested on Saturday, in addition to different lodge stays, in line with the criticism.

The criticism particulars two thefts on the night time of April 17, allegedly dedicated by Bustamente Leiva.

Within the first of these, on the Dolcezza espresso and gelato store in downtown D.C., he’s seen on surveillance video utilizing his leg to drag a tan shoulder bag towards him from an outside desk the place a bunch of consumers have been sitting. He leaned down and eliminated an oblong merchandise according to the form of a pockets or purse, the criticism mentioned.

Bustamente Leiva will not be charged with that alleged theft.

A short while later, surveillance video confirmed him on the Westin Lodge Downtown, a block away.

The video was pulled by police once they investigated a criticism by a girl who had been eating on the Westin, who mentioned her purse had been stolen from the again of her chair, the criticism mentioned.

The girl advised police she had discovered that her American Specific card, which had been in her purse, was used to make an tried buy at what turned out to be the identical Safeway that Bustamente Leiva and his alleged confederate visited after the April 12 theft, the criticism mentioned.

Surveillance footage later confirmed Bustamente Leiva strolling by the sufferer’s chair on the Westin, and that her purse disappeared from the again of that chair after he handed by it with a coat masking his left arm, the criticism mentioned.

Different surveillance footage confirmed him about quarter-hour later on the Safeway, the place he bought a bottle of crimson wine for $12.12, and a $400 Amex reward card with the sufferer’s American Specific card.

Authorities later excluded Bustamente Leiva’s alleged confederate within the different thefts from the April 17 crimes after they discovered he “was in custody on the time of the offense awaiting a psychological competency listening to,” in line with the felony criticism.