President Trump has used incidents of crime to justify an ongoing National Guard deployment to the capital, Washington, DC.A United States district court has sentenced a Chilean man to three years in prison for stealing a handbag last year belonging to then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.On Wednesday, the administration of President Donald Trump added that the suspect, 50-year-old Mario Bustamante Leiva, would also be subject to deportation after his time behind bars.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list“Bustamante Leiva came to Washington illegally to prey on citizens of the District. He methodically targeted women at restaurants, stealing their purses, and monetizing the stolen cards within minutes,” US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a statement.“His pattern of theft ends here. He will serve his prison term and be deported.”The bag-snatching case raised concerns last year about the efficacy of Noem’s Secret Service protection, as agents had been guarding the cabinet secretary on the night of the theft.The Trump administration has also used the case as an example to justify its deportation push, as well as its military-led crackdown on crime in Washington, DC.According to prosecutors, Bustamante Leiva was one of two suspects who were caught on surveillance camera stealing purses in Washington, DC, in April 2025.His co-defendant, Cristian Montecino-Sanzana, reportedly joined him for the first documented theft on April 12. He has been sentenced to 13 months behind bars and three years of supervised release, but he too faces deportation.Busta …
