Crossdressing Luggage Snatcher and Ex-Biden Official Sam Brinton Gets Sweetheart Plea Deal
Brinton also reached a civil settlement with a Tanzanian designer whose dress he stole
Thomas Catenacci.1/2July 2, 2024
ARLINGTON, Va.—Sam Brinton is a free man. The disgraced former Department of Energy official pleaded guilty to petit larceny as part ofa sweetheart deal that will see him serve no jail time after facing felony charges that carried a sentence of up to 20 years.
State prosecutors quietly announced the plea deal during a hearing last week in Arlington General District Court, which is just an eight-minute drive from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport where Brinton stole a Tanzanian female fashion designer's luggage containing her custom designs six years ago.
According to prosecutors, Brinton entered into an adult diversion program, which requires him to undergo mental health treatment, write a letter of apology, and complete 50 hours of community service helping the elderly.As part of the deal, the charges against Brinton were amended from grand larceny, a felony offense, to petit larceny, a misdemeanor.
The agreement allows Brinton—who made headlines in June 2022 as one of the first-ever nonbinary gender-fluid federal appointees—to escape jail time in a case that could have resulted in as many as 20 years imprisonment, according to Virginia sentencing guidelines for grand larceny. The agreement marks the third time Brinton has been able to escape serving any jail time for stealing women's luggage from airports.
While the agreement was finalized last week, the case remains open. A follow-up hearing in the case is slated for June 2025 to review Brinton's progress. The case may then, at that point, be closed.
"The resolution we came to is supported by the facts and circumstances of the case as a whole," Jessika Thomas, a spokeswoman for Arlington County commonwealth's attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, said in a statement. "Unfortunately, since this case remains pending, we are prohibited from commenting further." (If he were conservative it would be 20 years in jail)
Brinton and his legal representation declined when asked for comment on the case following the hearing last week.Brinton's husband Kevin Rieck told a Washington Free Beacon reporter to "go away."
In a related civil case filed in Montgomery County, Md., Brinton reached a settlement this week with plaintiff Asya Khamsin, the Tanzanian designer whose luggage he stole at the Washington, D.C.-area airport, the Free Beacon has learned. A stipulated dismissal of the suit is expected to be filed later this week.
Under the settlement, Brinton agreed to pay Khamsin an undisclosed dollar amount and wrote the designer an apology letter.
"Mr. Brinton has apologized to Asya Khamsin, and Asya Khamsin has forgiven Mr. Brinton," legal counsel for Khamsin said in a statement. "Asya Khamsin has decided not to publish Mr. Brinton’s letter of apology, as she considers the letter to be quite personal, sensitive, sincere, and heartfelt."
"Asya Khamsin hopes that the example of reconciliation that she and Mr. Brinton have set will encourage tolerance and coexistence in America, especially at this time of unfortunate public tension," the statement continued. "Asya Khamsin wishes Mr. Brinton all the best."
The case dates back to March 2018 when Brinton stole Khamsin's luggage from a baggage carousel at Reagan Airport. Early last year, Khamsin publicly accused Brinton of the theft after she came across photographs online of him at events wearing clothes similar to the designs contained in her stolen luggage.
https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/crossdressing-luggage-snatcher-and-ex-biden-official-sam-brinton-gets-sweetheart-plea-deal/