Non-binary Biden administration official put on leave after being charged with stealing a woman’s suitcase

A Biden administration employee, who was one of their first non-binary officials and uses they/them pronouns, has been put on leave after being charged with stealing a woman’s luggage from an airport in Minnesota.

Sam Brinton, who is the deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition at the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy, was charged with felony theft after reportedly stealing a Vera Bradley suitcase at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport on Sept. 16. The luggage was worth around $2,300.

According to the New York Post, video surveillance showed Brinton grabbing the luggage and the identification tag on it. They were later seen using the Vera Bradley suitcase on at least two occasions, while traveling to Washington, DC, on Sept. 18 and Oct. 9.

The Post reported that, when first questioned by officers, Brinton denied stealing the briefcase but later admitting taking it, saying it was a mistake and that they still had it in their possession. Brinton blamed the alleged mistake on fatigue.

“If I had taken the wrong bag, I am happy to return it, but I don’t have any clothes for another individual,” Brinton first told the officer. “That was my clothes when I opened the bag.”

Brinton later called the officer back and admitted to not being “completely honest.”

According to the court documents, Brinton said when they opened the bag at their hotel, they realized they had collected the wrong one and then worried that another passenger would believe it had been stolen. They said they were unsure what course of action to take. They said that they emptied the suitcase and placed the person’s belongings in the dresser in their hotel room.

A spokesperson for the DOE confirmed to Fox News Digital that Brinton had been put on leave over the charges. If convicted, Brinton could face a maximum of 5 years in prison along with a $10,000 fine.