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Biden's non-binary DoE official Sam Brinton booted out of job after allegedly 'stealing' two suitcases

Nuclear waste official Sam Brinton reportedly stole two suitcases from Minneapolis and Las Vegas airports, for which they have been charged

WASHINGTON, DC: Sam Brinton, a nuclear waste officer in the Biden Administration, lost their job after being accused of stealing airport bags twice. A Department of Energy spokesperson said on Monday, December 12, "Sam Brinton is no longer a DoE employee. By law, the Department of Energy cannot comment further on personnel matters." Brinton, who made headlines as one of the federal government's first non-binary employees, reportedly stole a woman's suitcase from the baggage carousel at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, in September. They initially claimed they did not take the bag, which was reportedly worth more than $3,000, but then admitted they had accidentally grabbed it.

During the summer, Brinton who uses 'they and them' pronouns was captured on security tape carrying the luggage through Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. According to 8 News Now, investigators said that more than $3,000 of jewelry, clothing, and cosmetics were hidden inside the $320 case that was stolen.  It's not clear why they chose the luggage as a target or if it was because it was made by a high-end company. As of now, it is unclear whether Brinton, the deputy assistant secretary of the Office of Nuclear Energy's Office of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition resigned of their own accord, if they were fired or if they were given the chance to resign before being fired. They were appointed to the position in June, as per Daily Mail.

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Following the alleged theft, Brinton checked the luggage on at least two additional flights, including one on September 18 to return to Washington, DC, and another on October 9 to travel to Europe, according to The Star Tribune. The newspaper also revealed that Brinton informed the police that they had taken out the items from the luggage and kept those in a hotel room in St Paul after realizing their mistake and hoping that everything would be okay.

The arrest report stated that on July 6, a woman who had traveled from Dulles International Airport to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas contacted the police when she could not find her suitcase after she contacted the airline. The report identified the stolen bag as a gray, hard-shelled "Bigger Carry-On" model from the "Away" brand, which was worth $320. She told police her suitcase had a total value of more than $3,670, including jewelry, makeup, contact lenses and clothing. Upon reviewing the surveillance video, a Las Vegas Metropolitan police officer noticed several non-verbal cues, or body language anomalies, from the suspect.

"Specifically, Brinton pulled the victim's luggage from the carousel and examined the tag. Then placed it back on the carousel, looking in all directions for anyone who might be watching, or might approach. Pulling it back off the carousel and demonstrating the same behavior by looking around before walking away with it quickly," police reportedly said.

It wasn't until a police officer saw a news report in November identifying Brinton as a suspect in the luggage theft at St Paul International Airport in September that a suspect was discovered. The criminal complaint from the incident in Minneapolis details how Brinton flew from Washington, DC, to Minneapolis without checking a suitcase, but after landing in Minnesota, she picked one up from the luggage carousel. According to surveillance footage from the airport, they were seen removing the luggage tag from the bag and placing it in their handbag. Initially, the police played dumb when they called Brinton. Later, Brinton called the authorities themselves and admitted to taking the bag but insisted that they were simply tired and made a mistake.

According to a search warrant issued recently, images in news articles from Minneapolis matched the suspect in the Las Vegas suitcase theft. Brinton was seen in a selfie sporting a white shirt with a rainbow-colored atomic nuclear emblem on it. The authorities found that it matched the suspect's shirt from the airport security footage.

Brinton, who has been charged in both incidents, is scheduled to appear in court in Minnesota on the first charge, which relates to an event that happened in September while they were traveling to a conference.