By Grethel Aguila and David Goodhue
One of the two men investigators say is connected with the theft of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s purse on Easter Sunday was tracked down — and arrested — in Miami Beach.
Cristian Rodrigo Montecino Sanzana, 51, is facing the charge of possession of a stolen driver’s license. Montecino Sanzana was arrested Sunday afternoon outside the Walgreens on 14th Street and Collins Avenue after Miami Beach police and Secret Service agents spotted him, according to his arrest report.
But, according to the federal criminal complaint against the other man arrested over the weekend in Washington, D.C. in connection with the theft of Noem’s purse, Montecino Sanzana doesn’t appear to have taken part in that robbery.
Rather, Secret Service agents said in the complaint that 49-year-old Mario E. Bustamante Leiva stole Noem’s bag on his own while she was eating Easter dinner at the Capital Burger restaurant on April 20. Bustamantes Leiva met Montecino Sanzana weeks before, and they both participated in the thefts of two other women’s purses on April 12 and April 17 respectively, according to the complaint.
The complaint against Bustamante Leiva recommends he’s charged with wire fraud and robbery charges. The latter charge, according to the complaint, is because he and Montecino Sanzana — who agents refer to as “Suspect-2” — is because they used stolen credit cards to make several purchases, and the servers for those credit card companies are located in several states throughout the country.
Noem’s purse was taken as she dined with her family on Easter at a Washington D.C. restaurant. Noem’s purse had about $3,000 in cash as well as her keys, driver’s license, passport and Homeland Security badge, according to the Associated Press.
The complaint states Bustamante Leiva sat down at the restaurant in the chair located closest to Noem and pushed his seat back in her direction. Closed circuit video from the restaurant shows him look down where Noem placed her purse at the base of her chair. Bustamante Leiva then uses his foot to drag her purse toward his chair, the complaint states.
He is then seen walking out of Capital Burger wearing a baseball cap and a COVID-style mask over his face, according to the complaint.
Shortly after 1 p.m., police watched Montecino Sanzana enter the Walgreens and arrested him on the street after he left the store. Montecino Sanzana provided the officer with a California ID that didn’t match his name, according to his arrest report. He is facing a charge of possession of a stolen driver’s license.
As of Monday, it’s unclear whether he will be charged in connection to the purse theft.
Montecino Sanzana is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. His bond is set at $2,500, though jail records show U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement put an immigration hold on him, meaning he can be held for an additional 48 hours from his release date.
Bustamante Leiva was arrested by Secret Service agents and Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department officers Sunday.
His complaint states he is homeless and an alcoholic who was arrested in the United Kingdom in 2014 for stealing designer bags and purses. Bustamante Leiva is a Chilean national, according to the complaint.
He used cash and credit cards from the stolen purses to by items like alcohol, meals at restaurants, gift cards and motel rooms, according to the complaint. He told agents that he and Montecino Sanzana would split the cost of the motel rooms to save money.
In an interview with NBC, Ed Martin, the acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said Noem likely wasn’t targeted.
“There is no indication it was because of that,” Martin said. “It was frankly, it was a nice-looking purse.”
Secret Service agents said in their complaint that not only is it unlikely Noem was singled out, Bustamante Leiva told them he didn’t even know who she was after they showed him a photo of the former South Dakota governor.
This story was originally published April 28, 2025 at 3:16 PM.
