Alleged Ex-Biden Admin Luggage Thief Avoids Jail Time Thanks to Plea Deal

Samuel Brinton, a former official of the Biden administration’s Energy Department, has avoided jail time by pleading “no contest” after being caught on video allegedly stealing luggage at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.

According to 8 News Now, Brinton agreed to pay more than $3,500 in restitution to the victim and received a suspended jail sentence of 180 days, meaning that he will not serve any time behind bars provided he remains out of trouble. Brinton was issued an arrest warrant in December for grand larceny with a value between $1,200 and $5,000.

Initially charged with a felony when police believed that he had stolen $3,670, Brinton pleaded “no contest” to misdemeanor theft, which is classified as an amount less than $1,200. Brinton risked facing up to 10 years in prison if he was convicted of the felony charge in Las Vegas.

Investigators claimed that Brinton, dressed in a white T-shirt with a large rainbow-colored atomic nuclear symbol design, can be seen on security camera footage taking a woman’s bag and leaving the airport. When taking the victim’s luggage, Brinton showed several signs of abnormal behavior that are usually exhibited by suspects when committing luggage theft, according to reports.

Brinton, known for causing a stir among Americans over his role in the federal government for dressing in drag and boasting online about his puppy role-play fetish, came under fire in November last year for allegedly stealing a woman’s luggage in Minneapolis. According to reports, he flew into Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport with American Airlines and traveled without a checked bag, indicating he had no purpose to claim a bag after landing. He checked into the InterContinental St. Paul Riverfront hotel with a blue bag.

On September 18, Brinton returned to MSP from Washington, D.C. with the same bag that he allegedly took from the baggage claim area, which belonged to a female passenger who flew into the MSP from New Orleans. Video surveillance footage from Dulles International Airport in Virginia allegedly captured Brinton returning from Europe with the same bag on October 9, nearly three weeks after the alleged theft took place. Authorities contacted Brinton that same day, asking if he “took anything that did not belong” to him. Brinton later admitted he took the bag, apologized for not being “completely honest,” and claimed he took the bag thinking it was his in a state of exhaustion.

By avoiding felony charges in Las Vegas, Brinton managed to dodge potentially serving up to 10 years in prison. If convicted on the felony charges he faces in Minnesota, he could face up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.