After appearing in court in Minnesota on Wednesday, the former Biden Department of Energy official implicated in two separate stolen-luggage incidents in different states was released without bail.
Sam Brinton, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, is accused of stealing a woman’s Vera Bradley suitcase from the airport’s baggage claim in September.
The worth of the bag and its contents was $2,325. Brinton was charged with felony theft after they were observed using the allegedly stolen bags on multiple occasions.
During a hearing on Wednesday, Brinton was released without bail and instructed not to contact any of the victims, according to Fox News.
Brinton, 35, is also facing felony grand larceny charges in Nevada for a July incident at Harry Reid International Airport in which he allegedly stole another woman’s suitcase valued at $320.
According to police, the suitcase included more than $3,500 worth of jewelry, clothing, and makeup.
In December, they appeared in court in Las Vegas regarding the case and were released after paying a $15,000 bond. In one case, the judge advised the former nuclear waste official to “avoid trouble.”
After the allegations surfaced, Brinton was placed on administrative leave from their post as deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition in the Office of Nuclear Energy of the Department of Energy and subsequently sacked.
Several House Republicans had previously requested that Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm remove Brinton from the Department of Energy.
They face up to five years in prison for the theft in Minnesota and up to ten years for the robbery in Las Vegas.
»Sam Brinton, nonbinary ex-Biden official, released without bond in a luggage-theft case«
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