Biden Administration employee and first non-binary gender official in the federal government was accused of stealing luggage from the Minneapolis airport in September.
According to court documents, Sam Brinton was charged with felony theft for allegedly stealing a Vera Bradley suitcase worth $2,325 from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport baggage claim on Sept. 16.
Brinton, who uses they/them pronouns was caught on surveillance video grabbing the bag and taking off the ID tag that identified the owner.
Later, they were seen using the Vera Bradley bag on at least two occasions while they traveled to Washington DC on Sept. 18th and Oct. 9. Investigators confirmed this.
Initial claims by Brinton that they stole the suitcase were denied to police officers. However, later they claimed that they had taken it accidentally and still had it.
Brinton told the officer that if the bag was not mine, I would be happy to return it. However, I do not have clothes for anyone else. “Those were my clothes when the bag was opened.”
Brinton, however, called the officer back after two hours and admitted to not being completely honest.
Due to exhaustion, they claimed that they had accidentally picked up the wrong bag at the luggage cart.
According to court filings, Brinton stated that they discovered the bag wasn’t theirs when they opened it at their hotel. However, they were nervous that someone might think they had stolen it and didn’t know what they should do. They claimed they empty the bag and put the clothes of the victim in the drawers of the dresser in their hotel room.
According to the first report by Alpha News, the official was charged with felony steal of a moving property without consent.
Brinton, who was one of the first non-binary government officials, was put on leave around a month ago after the allegations.
According to the Exchange Monitor which tracks government officials’ movements, an interim replacement was appointed earlier in the month.
A spokesperson from the DOE confirmed Brinton’s departure to Fox News Digital.
Brinton could be sentenced to up to five years imprisonment and/or $10,000 in fines if convicted.
