Sam Brinton, a nonbinary LGBTQ+ activist and outspoken opponent of conversion therapy, has been
charged with felony theft. They allegedly stole a woman’s suitcase worth $2,325 from a carousel at the Minneapolis Airport. Brinton, who served as a nuclear expert at the Department of Energy before being suspended from their duties, has a December 19 hearing. They face up to five years imprisonment, a $10,000 fine, or both.
The criminal case against the activist is damning. Brinton had no checked luggage, precluding this being a case of accidentally taking the wrong bag. Video surveillance captured Brinton removing the suitcase from the carousel and putting the bag’s tag in their handbag before leaving “at a quick pace,” the police complaint read.