(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) President Joe Biden’s former Energy Department official, transgender Samuel Brinton, was caught on video stealing luggage at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas last July.
A Nevada judge has now ordered that Brinton, who goes by the pronouns they/them, pay $3,670 to the victim. He was also given a suspended sentence of 180 days in prison after he pleaded “no contest,” the Daily Mail reported.
The suspended sentence means that Brinton is effectively off the hook for immediate jail or prison time, and will likely undergo a probationary period.
Brinton stole the bags from a woman who was travelling on July 6, 2022, from Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., to Las Vegas, though officials were unable to identify the suspect until months later.
Upon finding her luggage missing, she reported the matter to airport officials and filed a police report. They soon discovered that Brinton appeared on camera, acting in a strange manner.
According to the arrest warrant, an officer “observed several nonverbal cues, or body language anomalies, from the suspect, which caught his attention.”
“Specifically, Brinton pulled the victim’s luggage from the carousel and examined the tag. Then placed it back on the carousel, looking in all directions for anyone who might be watching or might approach,” the report continued, noting that Brinton could be seen “pulling [the luggage] back off the carousel and demonstrating the same behavior by looking around before walking away with it quickly.”
Between the cost of the luggage and its contents, Brinton stole over $3,000 of goods from the woman, including jewelry, makeup and clothing.
The case remained unresolved until they were able to identify Brinton as the suspect of another luggage theft in September at the Minneapolois-St. Paul International Airport.
The second case is ongoing.
If the former bureaucrat is found guilty, Brinton could face up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
American Airlines later confirmed that Brinton had not checked a suitcase for the flight.
