(Headline USA) The Biden administration refused to say this week whether a top official in the Energy Department is still being paid after he was charged with theft.
Samuel Brinton, the deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition, was charged with stealing a woman’s suitcase worth $2,325 from the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport earlier this week. While the Energy Department confirmed Brinton has since been placed on leave, officials refused to clarify whether he was still receiving a government paycheck.
“Sam Brinton is on leave from DOE, and Dr. Kim Petry is performing the duties of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition,” a DOE spokesperson said in a statement, according to Fox News.
Brinton, one of the first government officials to identify as “nonbinary,” allegedly stole the luggage from a baggage carousel on Sept. 16. Security camera footage shows him picking up the bag, removing its tag, and hurrying away.
When law enforcement reached out to Brinton about the incident, he confirmed he took a bag with a similar description to the one that went missing, but denied any wrongdoing.
“If I had taken the wrong bag, I am happy to return it, but I don’t have any clothes for another individual,” Brinton reportedly told the officer. “That was my clothes when I opened the bag.”
Brinton then admitted a couple of hours later that he had not been “completely honest,” saying he did take the wrong bag but did so because he was tired.
However, Brinton was seen traveling to the airport using the bag on at least two other occasions after the fact.
He has been charged with felony theft of a movable property without consent, and could face five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both. He is scheduled to appear in court for a hearing on Dec. 19.
