Report: Sam Brinton Fired Following Luggage Theft Accusations

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has reportedly fired the “openly genderfluid” Sam Brinton following two accusations of luggage theft at separate airports.

In an email to the Daily Signal on Monday, a DOE spokesperson said that Sam Brinton is no longer an employee without further specifying.

“Sam Brinton is no longer a DOE employee,” the spokesperson said. “By law, the Department of Energy cannot comment further on personnel matters.”

The Department of Energy broke the news in an email replying to my press request for this Daily Signal story https://t.co/4uL9u6I6PJ pic.twitter.com/YGFqShQFsu

— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) December 13, 2022

The reported firing comes after Sam Brinton received a felony charge last month for allegedly stealing a woman’s luggage at Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) International Airport on September 16. The theft reportedly occurred when a woman arriving from New Orleans went to the baggage carousel only to find that her navy blue Vera Bradley roller bag was missing. Per Alpha News:

Law enforcement at the Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) International Airport were alerted to a missing suitcase in the baggage claim area on Sept. 16. The adult female victim said she flew into MSP on a Delta flight from New Orleans and went to retrieve her checked bag at carousel seven.

Airport records confirmed the navy blue Vera Bradley roller bag arrived at 4:40 p.m. but was missing from the carousel. So law enforcement reviewed video surveillance footage from the baggage claim area and observed Brinton removing a navy blue roller bag from carousel seven, according to a criminal complaint.

The complaint says Brinton removed a luggage tag from the bag, placed it into a handbag he was carrying, and “then left the area at a quick pace.” Brinton arrived at MSP Airport around 4:27 p.m. on an American Airlines flight from Washington, D.C., but did not check a bag, meaning he had no reason to visit baggage claim, according to the complaint.

The female victim, who estimated the bag cost $2,325, confirmed to police that the navy blue bag that Brinton took in the surveillance footage indeed belonged to her. Brinton later took an Uber to the InterContinental St. Paul Riverfront hotel where he checked in with the blue bag, according to the criminal complaint. He later returned to the airport on September 18 with the same bag in hand when he departed for Washington, DC.

Two hours after the interview, Brinton then allegedly called the investigating officer and admitted to not being “completely honest.” According to Brinton, he mistakenly took the navy blue bag due to him being tired from his trip and “got nervous” when, arriving at his hotel room, he realized that the bag belonged to someone else.

Not knowing what to do, Brinton then allegedly told police that he left the woman’s clothes in the hotel room drawers and took the bag with him anyway in order to keep up appearances.

Last week, Brinton stood accused again of stealing another woman’s luggage at the airport on top of the previous accusation when investigators with 8NewsNow revealed on Thursday that Brinton allegedly stole a woman’s luggage at the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. A felony warrant was issued.

“A felony warrant was issued for Sam Brinton, a deputy assistant secretary, sources said. The charge is for grand larceny with a value between $1,200 and $5,000, records showed,” reported the outlet.

Prior to Monday’s report about Brinton’s firing, the Biden DOE said only that he had been placed on leave.

According to the Daily Mail, Brinton hosted a “spanking seminar” at a kink conference weeks after the alleged incident under the “‘NuclearNerd’ nickname that’s still in use on fetish hookup website.”

“Last Saturday, Sam Brinton, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition, who could be facing five years in prison for the bag theft, presented a seminar titled: ‘Spanking: From Calculus To Chemistry,’” reported the Mail.

“The seminar was held at Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in Los Angeles, where Brinton stayed on Friday and Saturday night,” it added. “The event was titled: ‘LA Leather Getaway’ and was sponsored by CLAW Corp., a national leather charity.”

Prior to his appointment with the Biden administration, Brinton openly opposed conversion therapy and taught “Kink 101” workshops on college campuses, according to the National Pulse. In one particular workshop, Brinton wore a dress while standing over three men in leather dog masks. Brinton called this a “pup play” fetish in a 2016 Metro Weekly article.