Arrests made in theft of Kristi Noem's purse and thousands in cash at Washington DC restaurant
Share this @internewscast.com

Two arrests have been made in the theft of a high-end Gucci bag belonging to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

The primary suspect was arrested in Washington, DC, and is in custody, according to the US Secret Service. USSS said in a Sunday evening news release it made a second arrest in Miami in connection with the theft. The agency said that person “is believed to be a co-conspirator” with the primary defendant.

The arrests came after the US Secret Service launched an investigation to find the perpetrator who stole her bag as she ate dinner with her family on Easter Sunday.

A spokesperson for the Secret Service initially declined to comment on the arrest, but in a statement to CNN Sunday, Washington Field Office Special Agent in Charge Matt McCool said the primary “the defendant is a serial offender.”

“We have also determined that this incident had no protective nexus to Secretary Noem or her role as Secretary of Homeland Security. The investigation revealed alleged criminal activity, including potential device and credit card fraud,” McCool said.

Multiple additional arrests are expected in a theft ring which recently targeted Washington, DC’s Penn Quarter area, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told CNN.

Noem thanked the Secret Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a post on X on Sunday and described the primary suspect as a “career criminal who has been in our country illegally for years.”

“Unfortunately, so many families in this country have been made victims by crime, and that’s why President Trump is working every single day to make America safe and get these criminal aliens off of our streets,” Noem wrote.

As CNN previously reported, surveillance footage of the incident at The Capital Burger restaurant in Washington, DC, showed the suspect purposefully moving close to Noem as he zeroed in on her Gucci bag near her feet, a second law enforcement source said.

The thief, dressed in dark clothing, sat down at an empty table next to Noem with his back facing her and used his left foot to slide the bag away, the source said. He surveyed the restaurant before eventually picking up the bag, covering it with his jacket and leaving.

Only when Noem got up from the table did she realize her bag was missing, the source said.

Items inside the bag included a Louis Vuitton Clemence wallet, Noem’s driver’s license, medication, apartment keys, passport, DHS access badge, makeup bag, blank checks, and about $3,000 in cash, multiple sources said.

CNN reached out to The Capital Burger’s parent company, Darden Restaurants, which did not respond to a request for comment.

The Secret Service was inside the restaurant with Noem, who was dining at a table with her family, according to a source familiar. The source didn’t specify how many agents accompanied Noem or where they were inside the restaurant.

Commenting on the large sum of cash Noem was carrying immediately following the incident, a DHS spokesperson said: “Her entire family was in town including her children and grandchildren – she was using the withdrawal to treat her family to dinner, activities, and Easter gifts.”

Law enforcement experts have raised concerns about whether the incident, which involved a thief getting so close to a Cabinet official and then absconding with her belongings, may have been a lapse in security.

Secret Service “will maintain jurisdiction over the case and intends to present its findings to a federal court in coordination with the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia,” McCool said.

The CNN Wire & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Texas officials scrapped ‘Flash Flood Alley’ warning system before 27 killed at Camp Mystic -- because it was too expensive

Texas Officials Discarded ‘Flash Flood Alley’ Warning System Due to Costs, Prior to Deadly Incident at Camp Mystic

Officials in Kerr County, Texas — where 27 campers and counselors at…
Aerial view of a Costco Wholesale store.

Costco Urges Shoppers to Cease Use of Popular Beach Item Due to ‘Fingertip Amputation’ Risk

A POPULAR beach product has landed on Costco’s urgent recall list after…
Young Texas camp survivor describes harrowing moment she prepared for worst during deadly flood

Teen Survivor from Texas Camp Shares Terrifying Experience During Life-Threatening Flood

A young camper who was rescued from Camp Mystic described the harrowing…
Crowded beach in Magaluf, Mallorca, with hotels in the background.

22-Year-Old Brit Hospitalized After Boat Accident in Magaluf Following Night Out with Friends

A BRIT holidaymaker has been rushed to hospital “seriously injured” after falling…
Visitor feared to have lost arm in lion zoo attack

Visitor Suspected of Losing Arm in Lion Attack at Zoo

A woman in her 50s is believed to have lost an arm…
Man wearing a black Los Angeles shirt and gold jewelry.

Rapper 4xtra Accidentally Injures Fingers in July 4th Fireworks Mishap Following Controversial Video

A RAPPER and podcaster reportedly lost two fingers in a horror July…
Glynn County police: 17-year-old arrested for attempted car-break in

Glynn County Police: Teen Arrested for Trying to Break Into a Car

A second suspect involved in the incident fled from police and remains…
'Love Island USA' star Cierra Ortega exits show after racist posts resurface

‘Love Island USA’ Contestant Cierra Ortega Departs Show Following Revival of Racist Social Media Posts

Not so lovely.  “Love Island USA” star Cierra Ortega, 25, made a…
A young Alabama student, a grandparent and a camp director among those killed in Texas floods

“Tragic Texas Floods Claim Lives of Alabama Student, Grandparent, and Camp Director”

A grandmother from a small town vanished on her commute to work.…
A girl falling during a field day event while other girls watch.

Heartwrenching Videos Capture Kids Enjoying Camp Mystic – Before Singing Through Tears While Escaping Dangerous Floodwaters

HEARTBREAKING video shows girls having fun at Camp Mystic just days before…
Hilliard man recounts springing into action after neighbor on motorcycle hit by 14-year-old ATV driver

Hilliard Resident Describes Quickly Responding After Neighbor’s Motorcycle Accident with 14-Year-Old ATV Rider

The Florida Highway Patrol reported that a man was killed near his…
Israel launches airstrikes at Yemen's Houthi rebels, Houthis launch missile back

Israel Strikes Yemen’s Houthi Rebels; Houthis Respond with Missile Launch

The assaults followed a suspected Houthi offensive on a ship in the…