Particle.news
Download on the App Store
11 ARTICLES
·
2h ago

Chilean Man Who Stole Kristi Noem’s Purse Gets Three Years in Prison

The case has become a touchstone in immigration enforcement debates.

Image
FILE - Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appears for an oversight hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem speaks during a media interview outside the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 10, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
Then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testifies during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, March 4, 2026.

Overview

  • Mario Bustamante Leiva, 50, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a term that exceeds prosecutors’ 30-month request.
  • The Justice Department said he overstayed a 2021 Visa Waiver entry and will be deported to Chile after serving his sentence.
  • He pleaded guilty in November to three counts of wire fraud and one count of first-degree theft tied to purse thefts on April 12, 17, and 20, 2025.
  • Prosecutors said surveillance showed him stealing Kristi Noem’s Gucci purse at Capital Burger on April 20, which held several credit cards and about $3,000 in cash, and police later found the bag in his motel room.
  • Co-defendant Cristian Montecino-Sanzana was sentenced March 13 to 13 months in prison with supervised release and also faces deportation.