eFinder

eFinder

Home › Crime and Justice › Article

Man who swiped Kristi Noem's purse in DC restaurant sentenced to 3 years in prison

Nbcwashington · · 282 words · By Michael Kunzelman; The Associated Press
Crime and Justice
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/man-who-swiped-kristi-noems-purse-in-dc…

psychologyDetected Techniques

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
warning
Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

9 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 8
help Insufficient Evidence 1
check_circle
“A man who stole a purse from then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem while she dined at a restaurant under the protection of Secret Service agents was sentenced on Wednesday to three years in prison for a string of thefts in the nation's capital.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm the core elements: a man stealing a purse from Kristi Noem while she was dining, and subsequent sentencing for thefts in D.C. The specific details (sentence length, exact date) vary, but the overall narrative is consistently reported across multiple sources.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — On January 24, 2026, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old American intensive care nurse for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, was shot multiple times and killed by two United States Cust…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Alex_Pretti
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Renée Nicole Macklin Good, a 37-year-old American woman, was fatally shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jonathan Ross, on January 7, 2026.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Renée_Good
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kristi Lynn Arnold Noem ( NOHM; née Arnold; born November 30, 1971) is an American politician who served as the eighth United States secretary of homeland security from 2025 to 2026. A member of the R…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristi_Noem
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
“Mario Bustamante Leiva did not recognize Noem when he grabbed her Gucci handbag from the floor of a restaurant where she was eating with her family in April 2025, according to the U.S. attorney's office.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results corroborate the claim that the thief did not recognize Noem when stealing the handbag in a restaurant in April 2025.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mario Bustamante Leiva did not recognize Noem when he grabbed her Gucci handbag from the floor of a restaurant where she was eating with her family in April 2025, according to the U.S. attorney's offi…
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-swiped-noems-purse-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mario Bustamante-Leiva used his leg to inch Noem's bag towards him -- and reportedly had no idea who she was 7.Bustamante-Leiva had been arrested several times before the incident with Noem. “She was …
https://nypost.com/2025/04/29/us-news/illegal-migrant-who-sn…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — When he robbed Noem, Bustamante-Leiva sat alone at a table 'within arms reach' of her, and used a sneaky method to move her handbag closer to him that cops say he has used many times before.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14656987/Migrant-Kr…
check_circle
“Noem’s purse had credit cards and about $3,000 in cash.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Noem's stolen purse contained credit cards and amounts ranging from $2,000 to $3,000 in cash.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — A Kavanaugh stop is a law enforcement practice in the United States in which federal agents can stop and briefly detain a person based on their perceived ethnicity, spoken language, or occupation in c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kavanaugh_stop
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — On January 24, 2026, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old American intensive care nurse for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, was shot multiple times and killed by two United States Cust…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Alex_Pretti
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kristi Lynn Arnold Noem ( NOHM; née Arnold; born November 30, 1971) is an American politician who served as the eighth United States secretary of homeland security from 2025 to 2026. A member of the R…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristi_Noem
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
“Police recovered it from Leiva's motel room.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results state that police recovered the purse from Leiva's motel room.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mario Bustamante Leiva did not recognize Noem when he grabbed her Gucci handbag from the floor of a restaurant where she was eating with her family in April 2025, according to the U.S. attorney's offi…
https://apnews.com/article/noem-stolen-purse-restaurant-home…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mario Bustamante Leiva, 50, a Chilean national illegally residing in the United States, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 36 months in prison in connection to a string of thefts that inclu…
https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/purse-thief-who-targeted-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Noem's purse had credit cards and about $3,000 in cash. Police recovered it from Leiva's motel room.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-swiped-noems-purse-…
check_circle
“Bustamante Leiva, a 50-year-old native of Chile, is facing deportation after his sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Mario Bustamante Leiva is a 50-year-old native of Chile, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, and is facing deportation.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 Copa Chile (officially known as Copa Chile Coca-Cola Sin Azúcar 2024 due to its sponsorship), was the 44th edition of the Copa Chile, the country's national football cup tournament. The tourn…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Copa_Chile
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ernesto "Che" Guevara de la Serna (14 May 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, politician, and military theorist. A major figure of the Cu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che_Guevara
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Javier Gerardo Milei (born 22 October 1970) is an Argentine politician and economist who has served as the 59th president of Argentina since 2023. Milei also served as a national deputy representing t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javier_Milei
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
“He pleaded guilty in November to three counts of wire fraud and one count of first-degree theft.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Bustamante Leiva pleaded guilty in November to three counts of wire fraud and one count of first-degree theft.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In November, Bustamante Leiva pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud and one count of first-degree theft. Investigators were able to identify him as a suspect in the crimes through a gift card h…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c80mze2381jo
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mario Bustamante-Leiva, 50, was convicted Friday for the Easter Sunday theft in which he swiped Ms. Noem’s Gucci handbag at a downtown D.C. restaurant, according to federal court records. He pleaded g…
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/nov/26/mario-busta…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Bustamante Leiva pleaded guilty Friday to three counts: wire fraud, aiding and abetting, and first-degree theft. Under the plea agreement, he will be "removable from the United States" after completin…
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/noem-purse-thief/2025/11/2…
check_circle
“He was charged and convicted of robbing two other people and charging fraudulent purchases to their credit cards.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Bustamante Leiva was charged with robbery and involved in other thefts, including making fraudulent purchases.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Bustamante Leiva was charged with robbery, aggravated identity theft and wire fraud.Like other cabinet officials, Noem receives a Secret Service protection detail. Agents were in the restaurant at the…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg95j7e25ro
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — According to court documents, Bustamante Leiva charged $15.40 on Noem’s credit card at the Italian restaurant. This amount is in addition to a previous bill of over $200 made at the same location, as …
https://resistthemainstream.com/major-twist-erupts-in-kristi…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 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 gi…
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg95j7e25ro
check_circle
“Bustamante Leiva was charged along with a second suspect, Cristian Montecino-Sananza, who was sentenced in March to 13 months of incarceration for his role in one of the other thefts.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results mention that Bustamante Leiva was charged alongside a second suspect, Cristian Montecino-Sananza, who received a sentence for one of the thefts.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Bustamante Leiva was charged along with a second suspect, Cristian Montecino-Sananza, who was sentenced in March to 13 months of incarceration for his role in one of the other thefts.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-swiped-noems-purse-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The suspects in the theft of Kristi Noem's bag are Christian Montecino Sanzana and Mario E. Bustamante Leiva. Montecino Sanzana was arrested in Miami Beach and Bustamante Leiva in Washington, both in …
https://en.cibercuba.com/noticias/2025-04-29-u1-e208933-s270…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Bustamante Leiva was charged with robbery, aggravated identity theft and wire fraud.Montecino-Sanzanaat was arrested in a Miami drug store, authorities said, and Secret Service officials said he was c…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg95j7e25ro
help
“Investigators said they identified Bustamante Leiva as a suspect in the thefts after he used a stolen gift card to make a purchase.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
Although the claim relates to the overall theft case, no specific evidence was found in the provided search results that confirms investigators identified Bustamante Leiva *specifically* after him using a stolen gift card for a purchase.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.