An arrest has been made in the investigation of the theft of a high-end Gucci bag belonging to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation tells CNN.
One person is in custody and multiple additional arrests are expected in a theft ring recently targeting Washington, DC’s, Penn Quarter area, the source said.
Authorities have not yet released specific details about the man’s identity, but the arrest 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.
“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,” said Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi.
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.
It remains unclear whether the thief knew Noem’s identity or whether she was a random target.
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.
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