A man has been arrested after Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem‘s bag was stolen in Washington D.C. last week, according to a CNN report.
Why It Matters
Noem, who previously served as governor of South Dakota from 2019 to 2025 before accepting the position of DHS secretary, reported her bag stolen last Sunday in a restaurant in downtown Washington D.C.
According to CNN, the contents of the bag included Noem’s driver’s license, prescription medication, apartment keys, passport, DHS access badge, makeup bag, blank checks and approximately $3,000 in cash, which DHS told Newsweek was to “treat her family to dinner, activities, and Easter gifts.”
The incident raised questions about her security detail and the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) launched an investigation to find the culprit.
What To Know
According to an anonymous law enforcement source talking to CNN, one man is now in custody and multiple other arrests are expected in a theft ring connected to the incident. The source did not specify any details about the man and in a statement, USSS did not confirm or comment on the reported arrest.
According to U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ed Martin, the arrested suspect is in the country illegally.
He told NBC News that the suspect “won’t be back on the streets in America.”
What People Are Saying
USSS spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi told CNN: “For the safety of our agents and officers, we are not in a position to confirm or comment at this time. Should criminal charges be filed, the Department of Homeland Security will provide public information in accordance with established procedures.”
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ed Martin said: “President Trump’s direction to us is we charge these folks that are here illegally and we prosecute them, as well as deport them when need be, you know, as soon as that can happen.”
“What I can tell you is he won’t be back on the streets in America,” he added.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told podcaster Vince Coglianese on the VINCE Show: “It was kind of shocking, actually, because it was sitting right by my feet. I actually felt my purse, he hooked it with his foot and drug it a few steps away and dropped a coat over it and took it.
“I felt it, but I thought it was my grandkids kicking me in the legs. But it was very professionally done, and it tells that this happens all the time to people and that they live in communities where this is a danger and it reaffirms why I am here. My job is to make sure that I do everything, every day, I can to make our communities safer and President Trump recognizes that families shouldn’t have to live with any kind of violence in their lives.”
What Happens Next
If criminal charges are filed, DHS will release further public information surrounding those charged in the theft, USSS indicated.
According to the New York Post, the suspect is scheduled to appear in court early this week.
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