Non-binary ex-Biden official Sam Brinton to be in men's jail over suitcase theft charges: sheriff

Ex-Energy Department official Sam Brinton, believed to have been the first non-binary person to be a high-level government official, will be placed in a Maryland men's jail while waiting to be sent to Virginia for charges related to alleged suitcase theft.

Brinton, 35, is in a "pre-placement" hold at the Montgomery County Jail and will be placed with the "general population" in the men's jail next week, a county sheriff’s deputy told The New York Post on Tuesday.

The county Department of Correction and Rehabilitation's policy states that "the classification of an arrestee/inmate will depend on whether the arrestee/inmate has male or female genitalia, whether they present a management or security problem, and whether their health and safety can be ensured."

Brinton, who uses they/them pronouns and left the federal government last year, was arrested last week for being a "fugitive from justice" and is being held without bail, records show. 

Brinton did not receive any jail time after he took a plea deal last month for stealing luggage from airports in Nevada and Minnesota. However, Brinton is currently facing grand larceny charges related to the alleged theft of a Tanzanian fashion designer's suitcase from the Washington, D.C., airport in 2018.

It remains unclear whether the new charge is related to the previous ones or is related to another matter.

Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.