The former Biden administration nuclear official who was terminated after being caught on surveillance footage stealing luggage from the airport has been arrested as a “fugitive from justice,” the Daily Wire reported.
Sam Brinton, 35, was arrested around 10 p.m. on Wednesday at the former official’s home in Rockville, Maryland.
A neighbor told the Daily Wire that “four unmarked police showed up last night, they would not let his spouse Kevin leave. After about an hour Sam Brinton was escorted out in handcuffs.”
Brinton, who claims to be “non-binary” and prefers “they/them” pronouns, was taken into custody by the Montgomery County Police Department, authorities confirmed.
A department spokesperson told the New York Post, “They are being held at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit on a no-bond status as they await an extradition hearing.”
Shiera Goff, a Montgomery County Police Department spokesperson, told Fox News Digital that the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police is leading the investigation into Brinton’s criminal acts.
In April, the former official pleaded no contest after being accused of stealing luggage from the airport on two separate occasions.
Surveillance footage from one of the incidents captured Brinton snatching the victim’s luggage in July 2022 from the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.
As part of the plea agreement, Brinton was ordered to pay one of the victims back to the tune of $3,670.74. Brinton was charged with a misdemeanor instead of a felony and avoided jail time with a 180-day suspended sentence.
Two months later, Brinton stole a woman’s Vera Bradley luggage while on a trip to Minnesota from Washington, D.C. The former official is still facing felony charges in that case. Brinton later admitted to grabbing the suitcase but insisted it was an accident.
One of the victims, fashion designer Asya Khamsin, accused Brinton of wearing her stolen clothing and jewelry.
“When I googled him, I saw my outfits on him,” Khamsin told KRIV. “I googled everything, and I saw my clothing, jewelries, blouses.”
On December 12, the Department of Energy announced that Brinton, who served as deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition in the Office of Nuclear Energy, was no longer with the agency but did not provide a reason.
The former Biden administration official is scheduled to appear before Judge Victor Del Pino on Thursday afternoon.
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