I am outraged by the favoritism enjoyed by (now former) top Biden administration nuclear fuel and waste official Sam Brinton, who wantonly (and we know repeatedly) stole luggage from strangers at airport baggage claim areas. The UK Daily Mail reports:
The non-binary former Energy Department official who was caught on video stealing luggage was ordered to pay $3,670 to the victim and given a suspended sentence of 180 days in prison after pleading 'no contest' to theft.
Samuel Brinton, 35, who uses they/them pronouns was issued their sentence Wednesday in Las Vegas, Nevada, eight months after they grabbed a passenger's bags inside Harry Reid International Airport.
Brinton was facing misdemeanor theft charges, which amount to less than $1,200 in stolen items. They had originally faced a felony theft charge since police said the amount stolen was $3,670.
Nevada law holds that theft with a value of $1,200 or more is a felony. And the restitution ordered clearly indicates that this threshold was exceeded. So, why the leniency?
Yes, it was a plea bargain, but why did prosecutors settle for a suspended sentence, which enables Brinton to escape any incarceration unless he violates the terms of his probation? There’s CCTV footage of the theft, so obtaining a conviction seems almost certain. And the video also shows premeditation:
When officials began investigating and looked at security footage, they noticed Brinton - then identified as 'the suspect' acting strange.
Officers 'observed several nonverbal cues, or body language anomalies, from the suspect, which caught his attention,' according to the warrant.
'Specifically, Brinton pulled the victim's luggage from the carousel and examined the tag. Then placed it back on the carousel, looking in all directions for anyone who might be watching