This is a strange one…
Sam Brinton, the deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition at the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy (fit that on a business card), has been charged with felony theft after allegedly snatching a Vera Bradley suitcase reportedly worth $2,325.
Briton, who uses they/them pronouns, was caught in the act at baggage claim at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport on Sept. 16, court documents show.
Briton originally denied —but then copped to –the charges after it became obvious that they lifted the bag and was seen with it on at least two occasions while traveling to Washington, DC, on Sept. 18 and Oct. 9, The New York Post reports.
“If I had taken the wrong bag, I am happy to return it, but I don’t have any clothes for another individual,” Brinton first told the officer. “That was my clothes when I opened the bag.”
Turns out, that was a lie.
According to The New York Post, Brinton eventually called the officer back and confessed that they hadn’t been “completely honest” and blamed exhaustion for grabbing the wrong bag.
But Brinton dumped the clothes in the bag and proceeded to use it for another month.
“According to the court filings, Brinton said when they opened the bag at their hotel, they realized it wasn’t theirs, but got nervous that someone would think they stole it and didn’t know what to do,” the Post reports. “They said they emptied the luggage and left the person’s clothes inside the drawers of a dresser in the hotel room.”
“The official was charged with felony theft of a moveable property without consent, as first reported by the local Minnesota outlet Alpha News.”
According to Alpha News, “Prior to working in government, Brinton was an anti-conversion therapy activist who taught ‘Kink 101’ workshops on college campuses, according to The National Pulse. A photo from one of these workshops shows Brinton in a dress as he stands over three males in leather dog masks.”
Brinton was placed on leave in October following the accusations. If convicted, Brinton could face up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
