Biden’s fired non-binary nuclear waste staffer Sam Brinton arrested for luggage theft

The former Energy Department official accused of stealing luggage at two airports in two separate incidents has been arrested on felony grand theft.

Sam Brinton, 35, who identifies as non-binary and uses the pronouns ‘they/their’, appeared in a Las Vegas court Wednesday where the judge set his bond at $15,000. Cash bail has already been posted and Brinton was not held.

Brinton was charged with the baggage theft earlier this year at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas that was captured on security footage.

In court on Wednesday, Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Joe Bonaventure also mentioned the robbery at the Minneapolis airport and told Brinton to stay out of trouble. His court date for that incident is Dec. 19 in Minnesota.

Brinton, who was appointed to his post at the Department of Energy in June, was left without a job Monday, according to a statement issued by the agency.

Brinton was charged with the baggage theft earlier this year at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas that was captured on security footage.

Brinton has been accused of stealing bags at the Las Vegas and Minneapolis airports.

Security footage showed Brinton walking through Harry Reid International Airport with luggage over the summer.

The $320 case, which was lifted from a carousel, was packed with more than $3,000 worth of jewelry, clothing and makeup, according to 8 News Now Researchers.

According to the arrest report, a woman who had traveled from Dulles International Airport to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on July 6 filed a police report when she was unable to locate her bag, and after checking with the airline.

The stolen suitcase was described in the report as an ‘Away’ brand, hard-shell, gray ‘Bigger Carry-On’ model, valued at $320.

The woman told police her suitcase had a total value of more than $3,670 and included jewelry, makeup, contact lenses and clothing, according to the report.

Brinton was fired from her job at the Department of Energy after being accused of stealing luggage in two separate incidents at the Las Vegas airport and the Minneapolis airport.

When a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officer reviewed the surveillance video, the officer “observed several non-verbal cues or abnormalities in the suspect’s body language, which caught his attention,” according to the report.

‘Specifically, Brinton removed the victim’s luggage from the carousel and examined the label.

‘He then placed it back on the carousel, looking in all directions for anyone who might be watching or who might come closer.

“Remove it from the carousel and demonstrate the same behavior by looking around before quickly walking away.”

A suspect was not identified until a police officer saw a news article in November naming Brinton as a suspect in baggage theft at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport in September.

The criminal complaint from the incident in Minneapolis describes how Brinton traveled from Washington DC to Minneapolis without a checked bag, but later retrieved one from the baggage carousel once they landed in Minnesota.

Surveillance footage from the airport, which has yet to be released, is said to show them removing the luggage strap from the bag and placing it in their bag.

When the cops first called Brinton, they played dumb.

Brinton then called authorities and admitted to taking the bag, but insisted it was a mistake and they were just tired.

The photos in the Minneapolis news matched the suspect in the baggage theft in Las Vegas, according to the warrant filed this week.

In the selfie, Brinton is wearing a white shirt with a rainbow atomic nuclear symbol design on it. It matches the shirt the suspect is wearing on airport surveillance video, police said.

The warrant revealed that Brinton had posted on Instagram on July 6, the same day as the robbery.

“Thank you @americannuclear for selling me such a cool shirt to wear on my flight today,” the post read.

‘My professional society continues to grow and learn and I am proud of them. My goodness, how we have changed since my service as a chapter president and then on the National Board of Directors. #NuclearPride.’

In the selfie, Brinton is wearing a white shirt with a rainbow atomic nuclear symbol design on it. It matches the shirt the suspect is wearing on airport surveillance video, police said.

Brinton also faces charges in a Minneapolis airport robbery and is due to appear in court in Minnesota on December 19.

Brinton has been married to Kevin Rieck (left) since 2019. The couple began dating in 2015.

Brinton admitted to stealing a navy blue Vera Bradley hard-sided suitcase from the luggage carousel valued at $2,325 after previously lying to police about it being his luggage. Pictured: Brinton was seen heading to the airport on February 28, 2022

The White House has repeatedly refused to comment on the scandal, saying it is a non-political issue.

The Department of Energy has also tried to distance Biden from the issue.

Brinton was appointed in June with much fanfare.

“Sam is also a well-known advocate for LGBTQ youth and has helped ensure protection against the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy in more than half the country,” he said.

“They identify as gender fluid and use the pronouns they, they, and theirs,” her bio reads.

In addition to working at the Department of Energy, they also conducted seminars, including a recent event on spanking.

Brinton lives in Washington DC with her husband.