Arrest made in the theft of Kristi Noem’s purse and thousands in cash, source says

CNN An arrest has been made in the examination of the theft of a high-end Gucci bag belonging to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem a law enforcement source familiar with the review tells CNN One person is in custody and multiple additional arrests are expected in a theft ring in recent months targeting Washington DC s Penn Quarter area the source revealed Administration have not yet circulated specific details about the man s identity but the arrest came after the US Secret Operation launched an assessment 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 Guard will provide inhabitants information in accordance with established procedures commented Secret Operation spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi As CNN previously revealed surveillance footage of the situation at The Capital Burger restaurant in Washington DC manifested the suspect purposefully moving close to Noem as he zeroed in on her Gucci bag near her feet a second law enforcement source reported 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 disclosed 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 explained 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 in cash multiple sources reported 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 Utility 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 multiple agents accompanied Noem or where they were inside the restaurant Commenting on the large sum of cash Noem was carrying without delay following the matter a DHS spokesperson explained Her entire family was in town including her children and grandchildren she was using the withdrawal to treat her family to dinner sessions and Easter gifts Law enforcement experts have raised concerns about whether the event which involved a thief getting so close to a Cabinet official and then absconding with her belongings may have been a lapse in assurance