The former Biden Department of Energy official accused in two separate stolen-luggage cases in different states was released without bail Wednesday after a court appearance in Minnesota.
Sam Brinton, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, is accused of stealing a woman’s Vera Bradley suitcase from the baggage claim at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in September.
The bag and its contents were valued at $2,325. Brinton was charged with felony theft after he was spotted using the luggage several times after allegedly snatching it.
Brinton was released without bail and ordered to not contact any of the victims during a hearing Wednesday, according to Fox News.
Brinton, 35, is also facing felony grand larceny charges in Nevada for a similar luggage heist incident in which prosecutors allege he stole another woman’s suitcase worth $320 at Harry Reid International Airport in July.
The suitcase contained more than $3,500 worth of jewelry, clothing and makeup, cops said.
He appeared in Las Vegas court in the case in December and were released after posting $15,000 bond. The judge in that case told the former nuclear waste official to “stay out of trouble.”
After the charges came to light, Brinton was placed on leave from their government job as the deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition at the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy and was later fired.
Several House Republicons had called on Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to remove Brinton from the DOE before their firing.
He faces up to five years in prison for the Minnesota theft and up to 10 years’ jail time for the Las Vegas heist.
Um, you said he “learns his fate.” All he learned is that he will go to trial.
AND we see you are honoring his “pronouns.”
Wow, just wow……smh
He’ll get the big dose of prison justice that he deserves!
Is that Sam or Samantha? Let ‘it’ figure it out in prison.