A former Biden administration nuclear official accused of stealing luggage at two airports was arrested in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
In June, Samuel Brinton, appointed deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposal at the Department of Energy (DOE), attended a hearing in Clark County, Nevada, where prosecutors and Brinton’s legal team agreed on bail. . the case is set at $15,000. Also on Wednesday, Brinton was booked by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) on an outstanding warrant and was released on bond, according to court documents.
At the hearing, Brinton was ordered to “stay out of trouble” as a condition of his bail, according to court records.
LVMPD released a booking photo Wednesday after Brinton was processed at the Clark County Detention Center.
SAM BRINTON, BIDEN’S MANUFACTURER, STOLE $1,700 OF JEWELRY IN SECOND CAR THEFT: POLICE
Las Vegas police took Sam Brinton into custody Wednesday in Clark County, Nevada.
(Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)
Last week, Brinton was charged with grand larceny in connection with the theft of a $3,670 bag at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas in July. Police allege in an arrest warrant last week that Brinton intentionally stole a suitcase containing $1,700 worth of jewelry, $850 worth of clothing and $500 worth of makeup from an airport baggage carousel after traveling from Washington to Las Vegas.
For the bag’s high monetary value, Brinton faces up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
MANSOWAR, WHICH WOMAN JOINED BIDEN ADMIN, WOULD NOT SAY HE WAS ACCUSED OF STEALING WOMAN’S LUGGAGE.
Las Vegas detectives initially closed the case after failing to identify a suspect. However, they reopened it in November following reports that Brinton had been charged in a similar case in Minnesota.
On Oct. 26, Minnesota prosecutors charged Brinton with stealing a $2,325 suitcase from a baggage carousel at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in September. Brinton faces up to five years in prison for the crime and will appear in court in Minneapolis on Monday.
Official government portrait of Sam Brinton.
(Department of Energy)
Meanwhile, the DOE announced Monday that Brinton had left the agency, but did not comment on the reason for the departure. A DOE spokeswoman said the agency was not authorized to comment on personnel matters.
Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., the ranking member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said Wednesday that he is renewing calls for the DOE and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to review the department’s safety clearance and review process. Criminal charges against Brinton.
“It’s clear as day that criminals should not have security clearances,” Barrasso said. “For several months, I have been demanding an answer from the Department of Energy about their failed security clearance process. Secretary Granholm has had no response.”
“When people are appointed to important positions with important national security responsibilities, Americans need to trust that they can be trusted,” he said. “The department needs to do a thorough review of the vetting process. They need to respond to legitimate oversight requests. It’s in our national security interests.”
Brinton made headlines this summer for being one of the first federal officials to identify as non-binary. Brinton previously reported being a member of a drag queen group called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.