Police have returned clothing items to Tanzanian fashion designer Asya Khamsin that they obtained during a search warrant execution at the home of former Department of Energy (DOE) official Sam Brinton. Khamsin had alleged that Brinton publicly wore clothing she designed, which had been in her missing bag at Ronald Reagan National Airport for years. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Police Department confirmed the return of the clothing and retained evidence photos for prosecution, although details remain undisclosed.
Following the search warrant execution, Brinton was charged with felony grand larceny for items exceeding $1,000 in value, and the preliminary hearing in Arlington General District Court was postponed to December. Khamsin had initially reported her missing bag in 2018, which contained her custom designs that Brinton allegedly wore, as seen in news articles. She had come to Washington, D.C., for an event showcasing her clothing but was unable to participate due to the bag’s disappearance. After discovering reports of Brinton’s alleged thefts from airport baggage carousels, Khamsin filed a report with Houston Police and later referred the case to the FBI.
As part of the investigation, the MWAA returned Khamsin’s retrieved clothing items in sealed evidence bags. Additionally, Khamsin filed a civil suit against Brinton related to the theft. Brinton, known for overseeing nuclear waste policy at the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy as a non-binary gender-fluid individual, faced charges in separate luggage theft cases in Minnesota and Nevada. However, despite potential jail sentences of up to 15 years for both cases, judges in each instance ruled against incarceration. The DOE announced Brinton’s departure from the agency on December 12, without specifying the reason.
