Former Biden administration official Samuel Brinton has been released without bail from a Minnesota correctional facility after being charged with stealing luggage from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport last year. 

Brinton, who served as a senior official in the Energy Department and identifies as non-binary, was released Wednesday.

The former official was charged with stealing a woman’s luggage worth more than $2,300 in September. If convicted, Brinton faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $10,000.

The charge is not the only one the former energy official could be facing. Brinton is also accused of stealing a bag worth more than $3,600 last June from an airport in Las Vegas. The luggage purportedly contained jewelry, clothing and makeup worth more than $3,000. 

The Nevada case has yet to lead to official charges, but investigators continue to probe the allegation. 

• Haris Alic can be reached at halic@washingtontimes.com.