South Dakota man sentenced to three years for allegedly stealing governors purse

A US District Court has sentenced a Chilean man, Mario Bustamante Leiva, 50, to three years in prison for stealing a handbag from then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last year. As part of his sentence, Leiva will also be subject to deportation after serving his time.

According to US Attorney Jeanine Pirro, Leiva targeted women at restaurants, stealing their purses and monetizing the stolen cards within minutes. The theft occurred on April 20, when Noem was dining with her family at Capital Burger. Surveillance cameras recorded Leiva repeatedly looking down toward Noem’s purse before bending down and snatching it.

Leiva was one of two suspects caught on surveillance camera stealing purses in Washington, DC, in April 2025. His co-defendant, Cristian Montecino-Sanzana, has been sentenced to 13 months behind bars and three years of supervised release, also facing deportation.

The case involving Noem raised concerns about the efficacy of her Secret Service protection last year. The Trump administration has used this case as an example to justify its deportation push and military-led crackdown on crime in Washington, DC.

In August, President Donald Trump deployed thousands of National Guard troops to Washington, DC, citing a “crime emergency” in the city. While court cases forced Trump to remove National Guard members from other parts of the country, the military remains on the streets of Washington, DC, with roughly 2,500 troops supporting local law enforcement.

The deployment has been ongoing since August and its end date is unclear. Noem was fired as Homeland Security secretary in March amid growing scrutiny of her government spending and immigration policies.

Source: Al Jazeera