A Chilean national living in the United States illegally has been sentenced to three years behind bars for stealing a purse belonging to former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during an incident last April.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced Wednesday that 50-year-old Mario Bustamante Leiva received the sentence after previously admitting guilt in November to three counts of wire fraud and one count of first-degree theft.

Authorities said that once his prison term is completed, Leiva will be removed from the United States and sent back to Chile.

In a statement, Pirro said, “Bustamante Leiva came to Washington illegally to prey on citizens of the District,” Pirro said in a statement. “He methodically targeted women at restaurants, stealing their purses, and monetizing the stolen cards within minutes. His pattern of theft ends here. He will serve his prison term and be deported.”

Leiva’s alleged accomplice, 52-year-old Cristian Rodrigo Montecino-Sanzana, also a Chilean national in the country illegally, had already been sentenced last month to 13 months in prison.

According to prosecutors, the two men carried out a planned theft on April 20 at Capital Burger, focusing on Noem, whom they were unaware was serving as DHS secretary at the time. Video footage showed Leiva taking Noem’s Gucci purse, which held credit cards and roughly $3,000 in cash.

After the incident, Leiva was later spotted at another restaurant with the same purse, where he used the stolen credit cards to make purchases without authorization.

Investigators said Leiva initially entered the United States through Orlando International Airport in August 2021 under the Visa Waiver Program, which permits nationals from certain countries to travel to the U.S. without obtaining a visa in advance.

He was required to leave the country by November 13, 2021, but remained beyond that date, placing him in the country illegally. At the time of the purse theft, officials said he also had outstanding arrest warrants in Utah and New York tied to allegations including retail theft, credit card fraud, and possession of stolen property.

{Matzav.com}