The non-binary former Energy Department official who was caught on camera stealing luggage from Minneapolis airport agreed to undergo a mental health evaluation – as he avoids jail time in Las Vegas for a similar crime.
Samuel Brinton, 35, who uses they/them pronouns agreed during a remote hearing in Hennepin County on Monday to participate in a adult diversion program after he was charged for stealing a woman’s suitcase in September containing $2,325 of items from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.
As a part of the program, Brinton – who was responsible for nuclear fuel and radioactive waste – will be required to write an apology to the victim, return the stolen items and participate in three days of community service.
Brinton is expected to report to the program later this month, which could see them avoid jail time of up to five years and/or a $10,000 fine.
The Minnesota hearing comes nearly a week after Brinton was given a suspended sentence of 180 days in prison after pleading ‘no contest’ to their Las Vegas, Nevada theft case. Brinton was also ordered to pay $3,670 to the Las Vegas victim.
Samuel Brinton, 35, agreed to undergo a mental health evaluation in Minnesota after he was charged in October for stealing a women’s suitcase at the airport
As a part of the program, Brinton – who was responsible for nuclear fuel and radioactive waste – will be required to write an apology to the victim, return the stolen items and participate in three days of community service. He may dodge five years of jail time
According to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, ‘there are times when public safety is best served by diverting first-time offenders from the criminal justice system’ and to the adult diversion program.
The program is set up to provide offenders with mental health resources they need and provide ‘accountability.’
‘Every successful diversion reduces costs in the criminal justice system and reduces the number of repeat offenders,’ the website reads.
Last Wednesday, Brinton was issued a suspended sentence of eight months after grabbing a passenger’s bag inside Harry Reid International Airport.
The case had gone 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.
Brinton faced misdemeanor theft charges in Vegas, 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.
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.
Brinton made headlines last year after proudly announcing on LinkedIn that they had become Deputy Assistant Secretary of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition in the Department of Energy
The Minnesota hearing comes nearly a week after Brinton was given a suspended sentence of 180 days in prison after pleading ‘no contest’ to their Las Vegas, Nevada theft case. Brinton was also ordered to pay $3,670 to the Las Vegas victim
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 situation in Las Vegas 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 her 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 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 strangely.
An officer ‘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.
American Airlines later confirmed that Brinton had not checked a bag on their flight from Washington D.C.
When the victim was later shown footage of Brinton with the suitcase, she confirmed it was her luggage.
The Minneapolis luggage theft case in September eventually led investigators in Los Angeles to identify Brinton. When officials began investigating and looked at security footage, they noticed Brinton – then identified as ‘the suspect’ – acting strangely
‘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
On top of the charges in Las Vegas and Minneapolis, Brinton is also under investigation after a fashion designer saw pictures of them wearing what appeared to be her unique clothes she lost after her bag went missing in 2018.
Asya Khamsin said her bag vanished at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and 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 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.
Sam Brinton (pictured left at the Starbucks in West Hollywood) appeared to be wearing Asya Khamsin’s one of a kind designs
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
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
