![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/brinton.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Sam Brinton, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition in the Office of Nuclear Energy in the Department of Energy (that’s a mouthful, a concept with which he is no doubt familiar) is being accused of stealing an extremely expensive piece of luggage. A woman reported her $2300+ Vera Bradley roller bag missing when she landed at Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) and subsequent searches of the airport video showed Brinton allegedly (have to say that) wheeling her wheely-bag out of baggage claim.<\/p>\n
Airport records confirmed the navy blue Vera Bradley roller bag arrived at 4:40 p.m. but was missing from the carousel. According to the criminal complaint, law enforcement reviewed video surveillance footage from the baggage claim and observed Brinton removing a navy blue roller bag from carousel seven.<\/p>\n
The complaint says Brinton removed a luggage tag from the bag, placed it into a handbag he was carrying, and \u201cthen left the area at a quick pace.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
Police showed the surveillance video to the victim and she confirmed it was her bag.<\/p>\n
Brinton left the airport in an Uber for a stay at the InterContinental St. Paul Riverfront hotel, where he checked in with the blue bag, the complaint says.<\/p>\n
He returned to MSP on Sept. 18 with the bag in hand for a departing flight back to Washington, D.C., authorities allege.<\/p>\n
Surveillance video from Dulles International Airport shows Brinton traveling with the bag on an Oct. 9 return trip from Europe, the complaint notes.<\/p>\n
Police questioned Brinton about the missing bag in an Oct. 9 phone call and asked him directly if he \u201ctook anything that did not belong\u201d to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot that I know of,\u201d Brinton allegedly responded. He later admitted to taking the bag but said the clothes inside were his, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n
Brinton allegedly called the investigating officer two hours later and apologized for not being \u201ccompletely honest.\u201d This time Brinton said he took the bag because he was tired and thought it was his, the complaint says.<\/p>\n
Brinton said he brought the bag back to D.C. with him because it would have been \u201cweirder\u201d to leave a bag in the hotel room, according to police.<\/p>\n
Police told Brinton how to return the bag to Delta, but as of Oct. 27 the victim still had not received her bag back.<\/p>\n
Police also learned that no clothing was recovered from the hotel room.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n