Mario Bustamente Leiva—a 49-yr old man—is now in federal custody on significant felony charges. He inappropriately lifted the purse of @HomelandSecurity Sec. Kristi Noem. Bustamente Leiva was apprehended on Saturday at a Washington D.C. motel. He was arrested last week and charged with robbery, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Now, federal prosecutors say he’s in the country illegally. Over the course of only slightly more than a week, he perpetrated a string of robberies.
Bustamente Leiva’s alleged crime spree began on April 12. On that particular day, he allegedly snatched a purse from a woman who was eating at nearby Nando’s restaurant. Surveillance footage showed him “silently stealthily removing” the victim’s purse from the back of her chair. Only a few days later, on April 15, he was seen. He was with an accomplice twice – once when they stole a third purse from an unsuspecting woman at the Westin Hotel Downtown. The accomplice then used the stolen credit card to buy a $500 Visa gift card.
Bustamente Leiva went on to allegedly steal in two more incidents on April 17. On each of these occasions, he spent the day going shopping with a $400 stolen American Express gift card. On April 20, the magnitude of his efforts came to a head. These incidents, if true, started when he stole Secretary Noem’s purse while she was eating at Capital Burger.
Restaurant surveillance video helped capture Bustamente Leiva in action. He contorted his body to face Noem’s purse and then used his left foot to pull it toward himself.
“The video then captured the suspect bend down with his jacket in one hand and, with his other hand, pick up an object from the floor that law enforcement determined to be [Noem’s] purse.” – Court document
Following Bustamente Leiva’s arrest, police took him to a local hospital because he was suffering from alcohol withdrawal. According to several accounts, during his testimony he acknowledged that he was an alcoholic, which he used as an excuse for his poor memory.
Bustamente Leiva’s actions raise interesting legal questions, especially about the way that these thefts were perpetrated. According to court documents, the law states that any theft “by force or violence, whether against resistance or by sudden or stealthy seizure or snatching, or by putting in fear, shall take from the person or immediate actual possession of another anything of value.”
After each robbery, Bustamente Leiva is accused of making counterfeit retail purchases with fraudulent credit cards he created from his victims’ accounts. This pattern indicates a more calculated approach to theft, as opposed to mere random acts of desperation.
“Following each robbery, Bustamente Leiva made fraudulent purchases using the credit cards obtained from the victim of each robbery.” – U.S. Secret Service agent
According to law enforcement, Bustamente Leiva worked with another individual in the commission of many of these crimes. For one, they have strong evidence indicating this link. His ties with co-conspirators make his case more complicated and shine a light on the issue of organized theft rings in the region.
As the investigation continues, legal experts are opining on the highly unusual case. They argue that Bustamente Leiva’s immigration status makes a material difference to the proceedings. Enforcement of the immigration law being in the country illegally might lead to separate charges or complications at his trial.
This case elevates some long-standing public safety concerns. It illustrates the failure of law enforcement to deal with controlling the behavior of these repeat offenders. Now that federal charges have been brought against him, Mario Bustamente Leiva will face more severe penalties if convicted.
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