When Sam Brinton, a former employee of the Department of Energy, was on a taxpayer-funded work trip to Las Vegas, someone stole a woman’s suitcase from the airport.
Brinton, a representative for the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Office, uses Federal funds to travel to the city in July 2022 for non-nuclear purposes.
During this trip, Brinton has been involved in three incidents, one of which was captured on camera when he was accused of swiping a woman’s case.
Pete McGinnis, the director of communications at FGI, stated, “The recurring instances of minor theft indicate that Brinton should not have been employed or granted a security clearance initially.” “In addition to engaging in criminal behavior, Sam Brinton’s unauthorized shopping spree was financed by taxpayers.”
According to available documents, the expenses indicate that the business trip, lasting from July 6 to July 9, 2022, incurred a total cost of $1,951.50 for taxpayers. This amount encompasses a scheduled “meeting and site visit to DOE Las Vegas Site.”
While on the journey, Brinton resided at the Hilton Grand Vacations Club on the renowned Las Vegas Strip.
Following their arrival at the Las Vegas airport, authorities disclosed several months later that the former nuclear energy employee had indeed pilfered luggage valued at around $3,670.
According to its rightful owner, the suitcase supposedly held $500 worth of cosmetics, $1,700 in jewelry, and $850 in clothing.
Brinton was spotted in video surveillance wearing the same outfit, which was seen in an image shared on their Instagram account on the same day, and also wearing a T-shirt with a rainbow-colored atomic nuclear symbol.
Brinton ultimately pleaded no contest and was given a 180-day suspended jail sentence. In addition, he was ordered to pay a restitution sum of $3,670.74.
In Minnesota, they were also accused of stealing Vera Bradley’s suitcase from the baggage carousel at Paul-St. Minneapolis Airport, after removing the owner’s identification.
Brinton, who was from the Department of Energy, allegedly used the suitcase at least twice before. However, when settling the matter, Brinton agreed to return the luggage, which was carrying items worth $2,325, as they claimed that investigators mistakenly took the wrong bag.
On May 17, Brinton was arrested for his third violation related to a fashion designer named Asya Khamsin, who operates from Houston.
Brinton’s attire seemed to match the custom clothing that she had on, and she was taken aback when she discovered that the Tanzanian fashion designer had misplaced a suitcase in 2018 that held the garments she had crafted at Reagan National Airport. Consequently, she filed a report claiming the suitcase had been stolen.
Brinton was charged as a “fugitive from justice” and spent weeks in jail before being released on bond in Montgomery County, Maryland in June.
Peter Hansen, the attorney for Khamzin, verified that the apprehension was connected to his client’s lawsuit.
The investigation is still in progress.