Two arrested in connection with theft of Secretary Kristi Noem’s bag

Authorities arrested two men in connection with the theft of a designer handbag belonging to US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Noem’s bag was stolen on Easter Sunday while she was dining in a popular Washington DC restaurant.

On Saturday, police arrested 49-year-old Mario Bustamante Leiva.

And on Sunday the US Secret Service said it apprehended an alleged co-conspirator in Miami. CBS News, the BBC’s US news partner, named the suspect as 51-year-old Cristian Rodrigo Montecino-Sanzanaat.

Bustamante Leiva was charged with robbery, aggravated identity theft and wire fraud.

A criminal complaint filed Monday alleged that he was involved in two other robberies, and spent the proceeds on gift cards, hotel rooms and other purchases.

Noem, the former governor of South Dakota, was eating at the popular Capital Burger restaurant with her Gucci handbag sitting by her feet underneath her seat.

After he allegedly was spotted on security video taking the bag, Bustamante Leiva got on a bus and was seen later that evening at an Italian restaurant. He is accused of spending $205.87 (£153.21) on food and drinks, paying with one of Noem’s credit cards.

Montecino-Sanzanaat was arrested in a Miami drug store, authorities said, and Secret Service officials said he was connected to “a pattern of robberies and thefts” in Washington.

Lawyers for the suspects could not be immediately identified. In 2015, Bustamante Leiva, a Chilean citizen, was jailed for three years by a court in London after a string of thefts from sandwich shops, bars and pubs.

In a post on X, Noem said the suspect “is a career criminal who has been in our country illegally for years.”

Noem had $3,000 (£2,330) in cash, along with credit cards, her Homeland Security badge, medication and her driving licence in her bag.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Noem had withdrawn the cash to treat her children and grandchildren to dinner, activities and holiday gifts.

Like other cabinet officials, Noem receives a Secret Service protection detail. Agents were in the restaurant at the time but did not immediately detect the theft.