- Mario Bustamante Leiva has been sentenced to three years in prison for a series of purse thefts in Washington, D.C., including one from Kristi Noem.
- The 50-year-old migrant from Chile pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud and one count of first-degree theft.
- One of the thefts involved stealing Kristi Noem's Gucci purse, containing credit cards and approximately $3,000 in cash, while she was dining with family in April 2025.
- Bustamante Leiva targeted women dining at restaurants, surveilling them before stealing their purses and using the stolen cards for fraudulent purchases.
- Following his prison sentence, Bustamante Leiva, who entered the US illegally in 2021, will be subject to deportation.
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