The illegal immigrant who swiped Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s $4,000 Gucci bag will likely be booted from the country after he copped to the brazen theft.
Mario Bustamante-Leiva, 49, pleaded guilty Friday to carrying out a spree of thefts on April 12, 17 and 20 in Washington, DC, which included nicking Noem’s luxury bag that had $3,000 cash in it, while she was dining at the Capital Burger with her family for Easter.
Bustamante-Leiva, a Chilean native, copped to charges of wire fraud, wire fraud and aiding and abetting and first-degree theft as part of an agreement with prosecutors, court papers show.
While he technically faces decades behind bars at his March 13 sentencing, prosecutors have said federal sentencing guidelines for Bustamante-Leiva range from 6 months to 3 1/2 years behind bars.
The guidelines also recommend a fine of up to $9,500, $3,174 in forfeitures, and potential restitution to be determined by the judge.
A judge is not bound by the guidelines and can still impose a heavier or lighter sentence than the recommendation.
Since Bustamante-Leiva was in the country illegally he will likely be deported after he serves his time, prosecutors noted in plea agreement papers.
The feds added that Bustamante-Leiva had eight previous convictions abroad and had done six stints behind bars in Chile and in the United Kingdom.
Bustamante-Leiva was accused of snatching purses from three victims over three days, and using credit cards from the bags to stay in hotels, dine at restaurants and buy booze.
His co-defendant, Cristian Montecino-Sanzana, also pleaded guilty Friday to wire fraud and aiding and abetting for his involvement in the April 12 theft of a person’s purse at Nando’s Restaurant in the nation’s capitol.
Montecino-Sanzana, also an alleged illegal immigrant from Chile, is not charged in connection to the robbery of Noem, 53.
Bustamante-Leiva is believed to be part of a larger East Coast robbery organization and was accused of robbery in New York in March for allegedly stealing a fanny pack from a Times Square dosa shop and making $1,200 in charges from one of its credit cards, law enforcement sources previously told The Post.
He also stole $28,000 worth of phones, wallets and computers in 2015 in London.
DC federal Judge Matthew Sharbaugh ordered Bustamante-Leiva held without bail after his arrest, citing his criminal past and “concerns” the judge had over the fact the career criminal had made a request for an emergency passport from the Chilean Consulate in New York in the days following the DC thefts.
Montecino-Sanzana was released into the US in 2021 despite the fact he was handed a notice of “expedited removal”
Montecino-Sanzana’s lawyer Carmen Hernandez said her client “accepted responsibility for the April 12, 2025 offenses, which did not involve Secretary Noem.”
Leiva-Bustamante’s lawyer, the DC US Attorney’s office and the Noem’s office didn’t immediately return requests for comment Monday.
