A senior official in the Biden administration’s Department of Energy has been charged with felony theft after allegedly stealing a piece of luggage from the baggage claim at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Sam Brinton, a biological male who identifies as nonbinary, is accused of taking the Vera Bradley suitcase worth $2,325 in September.
Following a missing bag complaint, law enforcement obtained video surveillance footage showing Brinton taking the suitcase from the airport’s baggage carousel.
“[Brinton] removed the blue bag’s tag and put the bag tag in the handbag they were carrying,” the court documents read. “Defendant then left the area at a quick pace.”
Court documents allege that Brinton did not originally check a bag when departing from Washington heading to Minnesota.
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In the weeks following, Brinton is believed to have used the stolen bag on a trip to Europe, according to a report.
On Oct. 9, Brinton denied stealing anything but admitted to taking the bag, telling a police officer who had called to inquire about the incident: “If I had taken the wrong bag, I am happy to return it, but I don’t have any clothes for another individual. That was my clothes when I opened the bag.”
In June, Brinton announced the acceptance of a job as the department’s deputy assistant secretary of the Office of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition.
It’s official. As of June 19th, I now serve my nation as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition in the Office of Nuclear Energy in the Department of Energy. pic.twitter.com/zLq3Bf97X2
— Sam Brinton (@sbrinton) June 29, 2022
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“Sam Brinton is on leave from DOE, and Dr. Kim Petry is performing the duties of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition,” a spokesperson for the Energy Department told Fox News.
If convicted, Brinton could be sentenced to up to five years behind bars, $10,000, or both.
