Court hearing delayed for former Biden energy official charged with stealing luggage at MSP
Sam Brinton is a senior nuclear energy official within the Department of Energy. (Department of Energy)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A court appearance for the former nuclear energy official for the Biden administration accused of stealing luggage at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has been delayed to next year.
After being charged in late October, Sam Brinton was scheduled to make a first appearance in court on Monday – until a judge granted a continuance earlier this month, pushing the hearing to February.
In a letter filed last week, court records show Brinton's attorney tried twice to move the hearing to a remote appearance, citing Brinton's "employment issues" related to the charges.
In the first request in late November, Brinton reported being on "leave" from the Department of Energy. Two weeks later, a spokesperson told Fox News that Brinton was no longer with the Department of Energy, though the DOE wouldn't confirm the exact circumstances Brinton left the department.
In response to the attorney's second request to move the hearing online, but the judge denied the request, saying first appearances for felonies must be held in person – except with certain exceptions for people already in custody with the Department of Corrections.
The delay was granted to give Brinton more time to arrange travel from Washington, D.C. to Minneapolis. Brinton is charged with theft for stealing a suitcase at MSP in September that was worth, including the items inside, an estimated $2,325.