Former DOE official sentenced to 180 days in prison for airport theft

Biden’s non-binary ex-nuclear waste chief Sam Brinton pleads no contest to stealing luggage from Las Vegas airport under plea deal where they will serve NO jail time but is ordered to pay victim $3,670

  • A former Energy Department official pleaded ‘no contest’ to theft Wednesday 
  • Samuel Brinton, who identifies as non-binary, was caught on video stealing luggage at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas in July 2022 
  • They were ordered to pay the victim $3,600 and sentenced to a suspended jail sentence of  180 days

The non-binary former Energy Department official who was caught on video stealing luggage was ordered to pay $3,670 to the victim and given a suspended sentence of 180 days in prison after pleading ‘no contest’ to theft. 

Samuel Brinton, 35, who uses they/them pronouns was issued their sentence Wednesday in Las Vegas, Nevada, eight months after they grabbed a passenger’s bags inside Harry Reid International Airport.   

Brinton was facing misdemeanor theft charges, which amount to less than $1,200 in stolen items. They had originally faced a felony theft charge since police said the amount stolen was $3,670. 

Brinton – who was responsible for nuclear fuel and radioactive waste – was also told by a judge to stay out of trouble, according to Las Vegas court records. 

A suspended sentence means the former Energy Department employee will not be forced immediately to serve a jail or prison term and may be required to complete probation. 

The non-binary former Energy Department official who was caught on video stealing luggage was ordered to pay $3,670 to the victim and given a suspended sentence of 180 days in prison after pleading ‘no contest’ to theft

Samuel Brinton, 34, who uses they/them pronouns was issued their sentence Wednesday in Las Vegas, Nevada, eight months after they grabbed a passenger’s bags inside Harry Reid International Airport

The situation began when a woman who had been traveling from Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. to Harry Reid Airport on July 6 said she could not find luggage. 

The woman told officials that one piece which had been checked with United Airlines was missing and she later filed a police report. 

According to officials, the suitcase was worth $320 and was from the ‘Away’ brand. 

Inside the luggage was more than $3,000 in stolen items including jewelry, makeup, contact lenses, and clothing, documents said.

When officials began investigating and looked at security footage, they noticed Brinton – then identified as ‘the suspect’ acting strange.   

Officers ‘observed several nonverbal cues, or body language anomalies, from the suspect, which caught his attention,’ according to the warrant.

‘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, the warrant continues. 

‘Pulling it back off the carousel and demonstrating the same behavior by looking around before walking away with it quickly,’ the document states.

Brinton – who was responsible for nuclear fuel and radioactive waste – was also told by a judge to stay out of trouble, according to court records. Pictured: Brinton in court in February

When officials began investigating and looked at security footage, they noticed Brinton – then identified as ‘the suspect’ acting strange

‘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, the warrant continues

The case went unresolved for months until one officer saw a news article in November that identified Brinton as a suspect in another luggage theft

The case went unresolved for months until one officer saw a news article in November that identified Brinton as a suspect in another luggage theft. 

Brinton had been implicated in a theft inside the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport on September 16 and their photos matched the suspect in the Las Vegas incident. 

Detectives continued to investigate and found photos posted to Brinton’s Instagram of them in the same t-shirt in a photo posted on July 6. 

The case against Brinton in Minneapolis is ongoing at this time. 

If found guilty in that case, the former Energy Department officials could face up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

According to the complaint in that incident, Brinton removed a tag from a woman’s luggage and walked out. The items inside were appraised at $2,325.

American Airlines later confirmed that Brinton had not checked a bag on their flight from Washington D.C. 

The victim was shown footage of Brinton with the suitcase, she confirmed that it was her luggage. 

Brinton had been implicated in a theft inside the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport on September 16 and their photos matched the suspect in the Las Vegas incident

If found guilty in that case, the former Energy Department officials could face up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine

On top of the charges in Las Vegas and Minneapolis, Brinton is also under investigation after one fashion designer saw pictures of them wearing what appeared to be her unique clothes she lost in a bag in 2018. 

Asya Khamsin said her bag went missing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and that she believes Brinton is the culprit. 

Khamsin spotted the clothes amid the ongoing coverage into Brinton, and reported the theft to Houston Police in December.

Khamsin claimed that Brinton has been seen wearing her custom-made outfits on several occasions since her luggage went missing five years ago.

The fashion guru, based in Houston, shared side by side photos of herself wearing one of her outfits next to a photo that surfaced of Brinton in what she believed is the same one.

Since then, numerous photos have surfaced showing Brinton wearing what appear to be several of Khamsin’s one-of-a-kind outfits.

The patterns, though similar, sit differently on Brinton and there has been no proof that the items are the same – and it is unclear if they got them altered.

Brinton, before being fired, was a deputy assistant secretary of the office of spent fuel and waste disposition, according to the Office of Nuclear Energy’s website. 

Shortly after an arrest warrant was issued for their arrest in Las Vegas, the department announced they were no longer an employee.

They were first hired to the department last summer. 

Brinton attended The Trevor Project TrevorLIVE NYC on June 11, 2018 in an outfit that Khamsin said resembled her outfits that went missing with her luggage in March 2018

Khamsin shared photos on her social media of her designs compared to what Brinton was seen wearing after her luggage with the clothing was stolen from an airport in Washington, DC


Sam Brinton (pictured left at the Starbucks in West Hollywood) appeared to be wearing Brinton’s one of a kind designs

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