The Biden administration’s deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition at the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy — who was hired as the federal government’s first so-called “non-binary” official in February — has been accused of stealing a fellow traveler’s luggage from the Minneapolis airport in September.
Sam Brinton — a man who claims to be ‘non-binary,’ meaning that he doesn’t identify as a man or a woman — was charged with felony theft after he was captured on surveillance video grabbing a Vera Bradley suitcase reportedly worth $2,325 from baggage claim at the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport on September 16, according to court documents.
Sam Brinton, a deputy assistant secretary in the Department of Energy who is praised for being a nonbinary-identifying transvestite, has been charged with felony theft for allegedly stealing a woman's bag at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. https://t.co/XkNOGiCboz https://t.co/hOKlIAEmio pic.twitter.com/BNs9E9vBIw
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) November 28, 2022
“After DEFENDANT took the blue bag from Carousel 7, DEFENDANT is observed leaving the airport in a Rideshare vehicle with the blue bag,” the complaint read. “Records from American Airlines confirmed that DEFENDANT did not check a bag when DEFENDANT departed Washington D.C. to MSP Airport.”
The filings note that Brinton was seen on the video snatching the luggage and removing its ID tag identifying the owner.
The Biden admin official was later seen using the stolen Vera Bradley suitcase on at least two occasions — when traveling to Washington, D.C. on September 18 and October 19, according to investigators.
When initially speaking with police, Brinton denied stealing the suitcase — but he later changed his story, claiming that he had taken it by mistake and admitting that he still had it in his possession.
“If I had taken the wrong bag, I am happy to return it, but I don’t have any clothes for another individual,” Brinton initially told the officer. “That was my clothes when I opened the bag.”
Two hours after the initial conversation, Brinton called the police officer back and admitted that he had not been “completely honest.”
The Biden admin official then changed his story, saying that he had accidentally grabbed the wrong bag while at the luggage carousel — blaming the mistake on exhaustion.
“DEFENDANT said when they opened the bag at the hotel, they realized it was not theirs,” the court filings stated. “DEFENDANT got nervous people would think they stole the bag and did not know what to do. DEFENDANT stated they left the clothes from the bag inside the drawers in the hotel room.”
Brinton was later charged with felony theft of a moveable property without consent, according to Alpha News.
He was placed on leave from his position in the Biden administration roughly one month ago following the accusations. According to the Exchange Monitor, which tracks government officials’ moves, another official was named as Brinton’s interim replacement earlier this month.
The victim, who had still not gotten her suitcase back as of October 27, stated that the items in the bag were worth over $2,300, according to court documents.
Upon conviction, Brinton could receive up to five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both.
