High-ranking U.S. energy department official accused of stealing passenger luggage from airports

The warrant for this second accused luggage theft (out of Vegas) was only issued yesterday, December 8. So you may be thinking of the earlier theft out of a Minnesota airport that was in the news recently?

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Unless the crime will save you from dying, it’s not a crime of “need”.

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I wouldn’t want to see such a lapse in judgement when dealing with nuclear waste products.

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The folks at the US Chemical Safety Board would never attempt this sort of shenanigan.

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Oops, yes. I guess in my quick skim I didn’t realize this was a 2nd incident. ETA - so this may be less of a momentary lapse and more of an on going compulsion.

Well - most likely one’s desire to acquire nuclear waste isn’t as strong as the desire for nice, designer bags.

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But the desire for a quick sale of some discarded material to improve your bank balance might be just as attractive.

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Also any person who engages in criminal activity like this is much more susceptible to bribery or blackmail. That’s why people are often denied security clearances if a background check turns up secret lovers or gambling debts or other compromising information.

A person with a secret criminal history doesn’t even need to be bribed, a foreign agent could just threaten to expose one of their crimes.

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Except in this case, there was no checked bag. He went to the baggage claim specifically to steal a bag.

Yeah, I didn’t know what this brand was but I looked up their luggage and it’s expensive luggage marketed to women. So this bag swiping was for the thrill of taking an expensive piece of luggage owned by a woman. They could easily easily afford to buy this type of bag, so they were going for the excitement of taking it. I haven’t looked up what’s the salary for this DOE position but I’m sure it’s nicely into six figures.

Not a smart move. Goodbye clearance! Actual time in prison is highly highly unlikely but getting back a clearance is also highly highly unlikely which puts an end to all possible nuclear-related job opportunities.

I expect there will be a plea bargain and a misdemeanor and a fine / community service, but that’s still fatal to a career in nuclear engineering.

The latter. It’s thrill-seeking. They had plenty of money for shopping but wanted a thrill that can’t be bought.

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Who the hell is paying for nuclear WASTE?? Are you worried about fissile material, because that is going to be stored somewhere else for our bomb making, not in waste canisters.

Never mind someone over seeing something like that isn’t usually the one physically moving it.

But they are suspended and I am sure any clearance they had has been pulled/suspended along with it.

They. Sam Brinton is nonbinary. A person still deserves to not be misgendered even if they (allegedly) committed a crime.

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Super Troopers Yes GIF by Searchlight Pictures

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The gQp is going to have a field day with this one.

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I would imagine concerns about overlooking/facilitating improper storage/disposal might be more pertinent.

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Also possibly influencing who gets lucrative contracts for nuclear waste storage and disposal.

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Dirty bombs are pretty scary. No need for fissile material for effective terrorism.

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Alright, true, but there is quite a leap from what I assume is thrill theft, and selling waste materials to a terrorist for a dirty bomb.

There are a lot of people who are competent at work and have money and still do thefts for “fun”. Usually their wealth, stature, and good work at their job makes any accusations of theft unbelievable.

I’m not suggesting they should just keep their job as if nothing happened, but I am suggesting tempering some of the wild “what ifs?” I have seen floating around.

YMMV

I have no idea why, but every time I see this picture, I think it’s Matt Damon in a bald cap.

matty1

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The specific targeting of high-value luggage, as opposed to random tchotchkes or whatever from store shelves, calls into question how much of an uncontrollable “compulsion” this was as opposed to straight-up premeditated theft. Shoplifters are rarely given the benefit of the doubt on this sort of behavior.

More to the point, if this story in LGBTQ Nation is to be believed, Sam may have had problems with honesty in other aspects of their life as well.

That article includes a recent quote from Brinton in which they stress how “transparency, honesty and trust” are very important for their work in the field of nuclear waste disposal, so if they’re going to make that connection on their own it’s no stretch for others to point it out as well.

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See @Brainspore’s comment just above yours. It’s not an accusation; it’s about security of dangerous materials.

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Unless they were targeting luggage that belonged to women, making it more about voyeurism than theft.