WASHINGTON (TND) — Former senior Department of Energy official Sam Brinton was traveling on the taxpayer’s dime during a luggage theft last year, according to internal documents from the Biden administration obtained by Fox News.
Brinton, who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, previously served as the Biden administration's "Deputy Assistant Secretary for Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition.” They were released from the organization late last year after Brinton was twice accused of stealing luggage at airports.
The documents, provided to Fox News Monday by watchdog organization Functional Government Initiative (FGI), reportedly show that Brinton flew from Washington D.C. to a nuclear test facility near Las Vegas, Nevada on July 6, 2022 on DOE business. In the months to follow, Las Vegas prosecutors charged Brinton with grand larceny after accusing them of stealing a suitcase estimated at $3,670 in value during the trip.
The four-day trip was funded by taxpayer money, DOE documents show, costing a total of $1,951.50.
Brinton avoided jailtime for the offense after pleading no contest and waiving the right to a trial, but was ordered to pay $3,670.74 to the luggage’s owner and $500 in additional fees, including a criminal fine.
Brinton was also accused of stealing a suitcase worth $2,325 from a luggage carousel in September 2022 at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. In May, Brinton was arrested on charges tied to a 2018 baggage theft at Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C.
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"It’s outrageous that tax dollars transported Brinton to and from the scene of a crime, putting the American public unwittingly at the wheel of the getaway car," FGI spokesperson Peter McGinnis told Fox News Digital.
"The federal government obviously needs a more stringent vetting process for senior-level positions," McGinnis said. "Senior officials committing petty crime while on the clock is a clear indication that something is dysfunctional in the personnel procedures."
As part of an adult diversion program, Brinton has agreed to submit to a mental health assessment, return stolen property and complete community service.
