Sam Brinton, an official at the Biden administration's Energy Department (DOE), is accused of stealing luggage from an airport in Las Vegas after facing similar charges in Minneapolis, according to reports.
A felony arrest warrant has been issued for Brinton, who is non-binary, after accusations they stole luggage from the Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas TV station KLAS reported.
The charge is for grand larceny with a value between $1,200 and $5,000, the warrant states.
Grand larceny is a category B felony in Nevada and punishable by one to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.
Brinton, who serves as the DOE's deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition, is already accused of stealing a suitcase worth $2,325 from the luggage carousel at Minneapolis St. Paul Airport on September 16.
Brinton was seen at the airport that day with the Vera Bradley suitcase despite not checking in a bag themselves. Brinton was later seen on a surveillance camera on October 9 at Washington Dulles Airport with the navy blue hard-sided roller bag which they are alleged to have stolen the month prior.
They later admitted to taking the suitcase, but Brinton claimed they thought the bag belonged to them.
Brinton was placed on leave from the DoE after they were charged with felony theft over the incident. Brinton faces up to five years in prison if found guilty of the theft charge and is due to appear in court on December 19.
Reports of a new arrest warrant came after a group of GOP lawmakers wrote a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm calling for Brinton's resignation.
"It is simply not possible for an individual to represent American values and simultaneously violate the felony laws of the land," the letter reads.
"Brinton's actions, along with your Department's lack of transparency when dealing with this matter, reflect poorly on the Department of Energy, and they raise concern as to the Biden Administration's priorities when appointing high-ranking officials."
Georgia's Andrew Clyde and Marjorie Taylor Greene, Arizona's Andy Biggs and Texas' Louie Gohmert were among the 16 Republican members of Congress to have signed the letter.
Brinton previously revealed that they had received death threats following their appointment as deputy assistant secretary of spent fuel and waste disposition in June, becoming the first non-binary person to hold this position.
They told E&E News in October: "There's been a lot of people who are quite upset that don't think that I am quite as qualified as others... I respond with multiple graduate degrees from MIT, a decade of working in nuclear policy, and the strongest enthusiasm for working in nuclear waste out of anybody."
Brinton was formally head of advocacy and government affairs for The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for young LGBTQ people.
The DoE has been contacted for comment.
Update12/9/22, 4:22 a.m. EST: This article was updated to add context.
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
