Sam Brinton, a former spent nuclear waste disposal official in the Biden administration, was arrested at his residence on Wednesday by the Montgomery County Police Department in Maryland.
The arrest comes following a duo of theft incidents involving stolen luggage at airports, which led to Brinton’s termination from his position in the Biden Energy Department last year.
Police have charged him with being a fugitive from justice, and he has been held until an extradition hearing, as part of an ongoing investigation by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police.
This arrest seems to relate to new charges related to airport thefts. “Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police executed a search warrant May 17 in Montgomery County, Maryland, in connection with allegations of stolen property in luggage from Reagan National Airport that was brought to the department’s attention in February 2023,” the department wrote in a statement to media.
Brinton’s troubles began last year. Brinton, who understands himself as a nonbinary or gender-fluid person (neither male nor female), was initially charged with grand larceny in December, following an incident that occurred on July 6, 2022, at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. Brinton was accused of stealing a suitcase with a combined value of $3,670. The stolen bag contained jewelry worth $1,700, clothing valued at $850, and makeup worth $500.
Brinton pleaded “no contest,” waiving his right to a trial. The Clark County Judge Ann Zimmerman ordered him to pay $3,670.74 in restitution to the victim and an additional $500 in fees, including a criminal fine. Judge Zimmerman also handed Brinton a 180-day suspended sentence with the condition to “stay out of trouble.”
Brinton was also accused of stealing another designer suitcase from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, in a separate
In addition to his involvement in the theft cases, Brinton has drawn attention for his various professional and activist endeavors. That’s where his ties to Alaska come in.
He founded the Trevor Project, an organization focused on supporting gender-confused youth and combating “conversion therapy,” which seeks to discourage alternate gender identities. Anchorage passed an ordinance banning conversion therapy, a move that has faced legal challenges in other jurisdictions due to concerns over free speech rights of therapists. The Trevor Project was involved in secretly advising Assembly members on the ordinance.
Brinton’s name showed up in subject lines of emails between Anchorage Assembly members Austin Quinn-Davidson, Felix Rivera, and Chris Constant, members of the Trevor Project Team and Assembly Attorney Dean Gates. The actual content of the emails were illegally redacted by the Assembly’s attorney, citing deliberative process and personal information.
Brinton has a diverse background outside his professional career. He is known as a drag queen, queer activist, and sado-masochism instructor, providing coaching on various sexual proclivities, including bondage and role-playing involving individuals dressed as animals.
Prior to his dismissal, Brinton served as the head of the nuclear waste disposal division at the Energy Department.
