When last we left Sam Brinton, the non-binary former Biden administration Energy Department official, he was in handcuffs trying to explain how a woman’s suitcase on a baggage carousel ended up in his possession. This was the second time Brinton had “accidentally” picked up the wrong suitcase — after he had stripped any identifying tags from the luggage and walked out of the airport.
While we should all give Mr. Brinton the benefit of the doubt and presume him innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, I’m with the foreman in The Producers’ jury who found the defendants “incredibly guilty.”
Not so fast. Despite the fact that authorities in Minneapolis and Las Vegas have Brinton dead to rights on cameras surveilling the baggage claim taking the luggage and leaving the airport, this is America, after all, and just because you’re guilty as hell doesn’t mean anything as long as you’re “mentally ill.”
So Brinton will get a court-ordered mental fitness test and probably avoid serving any jail time at all.
Brinton, who is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, appeared remotely Monday at a Hennepin County Court hearing stemming from a luggage theft incident that occurred in September at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
In addition to having to undergo a mental health evaluation, Brinton will be required to write a letter of apology to the victim, return any stolen property and perform three days of community service, local news station Fox9 reported.
Adult diversion programs are aimed at first-time, nonviolent offenders. Those who meet program expectations could potentially see their case dismissed.
But Brinton is not a “first-time offender.” In July 2022, Las Vegas police arrested him for absconding with another woman’s suitcase.
Last week, Brinton pleaded no contest to stealing another woman’s suitcase at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas in July 2022.
In that case, the ex-Department of Energy official was also spared jail time after being handed a 180-day suspended sentence. As part of the plea deal, Brinton’s felony charge was downgraded to a misdemeanor.
A Nevada judge also ordered Brinton to pay $3,670.74 in restitution to the victim for the luggage, which contained $1,700 worth of jewelry, $800 in clothes and makeup estimated at $500.
In the wake of the back-to-back luggage heists, Brinton has been fired from their job as deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition at the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy.
This was the guy in charge of managing nuclear waste in the United States. We couldn’t be in better hands, don’t you think?
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