On Sunday evening, April 20, 2025, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s purse was stolen while she dined at a restaurant in Washington, D.C. The purse contained approximately $3,000 in cash, her driver’s license, passport, apartment keys, Homeland Security access badge, medication, makeup bag, and blank checks. The cash was reportedly intended for Easter gifts and activities with her visiting children and grandchildren .
Surveillance footage reviewed by the Secret Service shows a white male wearing a medical mask stealing the bag and leaving the restaurant. At least two plainclothes Secret Service agents were present during the incident. It remains unclear whether Noem was specifically targeted or if the theft was opportunistic. No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing .
Noem, 53, a former South Dakota governor and current DHS Secretary under President Trump, has been a prominent figure in the administration’s immigration policies. She recently faced criticism for a visit to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador, where she filmed a video warning undocumented immigrants and wore a $50,000 Rolex watch, drawing public scrutiny .
