East African fashion designer says she reported Sam Brinton in latest arrest

Disgraced former Department of Energy official Sam Binton's latest arrest for stealing airport luggage stems from the theft of an East African fashion designer's luggage, after the designer saw photos of Brinton wearing her own custom clothes.

Brinton, who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, was arrested at home in Maryland on Wednesday in connection with the alleged theft of property from Reagan National Airport in northern Virginia.

Brinton, 35, is being held without bail at the Montgomery County Detention Center, pending extradition to Virginia to face charges of grand larceny. 

Now, Tanzanian-American fashion designer Asyakhamsin says through her attorney that she filed the report with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police (MWAA) that resulted in Brinton's latest arrest -- their third on similar charges. 

Attorney Peter C. Hansen told DailyMail.com on Friday that his client 'provided to the MWAA images of Mr. Brinton wearing her bespoke designs and lost jewelry, along with comparison photos showing them on models and Asyakhamsin herself.'

Hansen said that during a search of Brinton's home in Rockville on Wednesday, police 'recovered a number of items matching the descriptions and images provided by Asyakhamsin.'

Tanzanian-American fashion designer Asyakhamsin (above) says that she filed a police report after seeing former Department of Energy official Sam Binton wearing her stolen clothes

Brinton (seen in 2019 in an alleged stolen outfit) was arrested at home in Maryland on Wednesday in connection with the alleged theft of property from Reagan National Airport 

The attorney noted that his client's luggage, stolen on March 9, 2018, contained 'more than a dozen bespoke articles of clothing that she had designed, along with a number of other valuable items for her business.' 

'Asyakhamsin’s business was seriously damaged by this loss, which remained a mystery until she was recently alerted to photos of Sam Brinton wearing articles from her lost luggage,' said Hansen.

The attorney said that Asyakhamsin is 'leaving her options open' for a civil suit against Brinton, but has not yet filed any lawsuit.

'Certain public images of Mr. Brinton in Asyakhamsin’s designs were widely published, including on Vanity Fair’s Italian website,' said Hansen, noting that his client's designs were 'displayed without attribution in many other publications' while being worn by Brinton.

'Asyakhamsin is a black, female, Muslim immigrant entrepreneur, and she has built a distinguished career over forty years,' he added. 'She deserves credit for her works.'

In February, a shocked Asyakhamsin went public with her allegations, saying that her suitcase went missing from Reagan National in 2018, and that she had since seen photos of Brinton wearing her custom designs. 

The fashion guru, based in Houston, shared side by side photos of herself wearing one of her outfits next to a photo that surfaced of Brinton in what she believed is the same garment. 

Asyakhamsin's luggage containing the outfits she has accused Brinton of being photographed in, went missing at the airport when she flew to Washington, D.C. in 2018 for a fashion event. 

The outfits were meant to be on display, but the designer said at the time she was unable to participate in the event as she'd hoped after her luggage went missing. 

Brinton in a previous mugshot. They have now been arrested three times for stealing women's suitcases in airports

Brinton was fired as deputy assistant secretary of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition in the Office of Nuclear Energy in December 2022 after twice being charged with stealing luggage from airports.

In October 2022, Brinton was charged with felony theft after allegedly stealing a woman's suitcase at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport the prior month.

In December 2022, new charges emerged stemming from the theft of a woman’s luggage at Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport in July 2022. 

In the Minnesota case, Brinton entered a diversion program and agreed to undergo a mental health evaluation to avoid jail time, and was required to write an apology to the victim, return the stolen items and participate in three days of community service.  

Brinton last month pleaded no contest to the Las Vegas charges, and was given a suspended sentence of 180 days, and ordered to pay $3,670 to the Las Vegas victim.

Sam Brinton (pictured left at the Starbucks in West Hollywood in October 2019) appeared to be wearing Brinton's one of a kind designs

Brinton is seen left at an event on June 11, 2018 in an outfit that Khamsin said resembled one of the outfits that went missing with her luggage in March 2018, similar to the design seen right

Brinton was arrested on Wednesday at their home in Maryland. Their husband Kevin (left in February) was kept in the house while Brinton was led out in cuffs 

In the latest incident, airport police said that the case was first brought to their attention in February, the same time Khamsin went public with her allegations.  

A police spokesman told DailyMail.com: 'Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police executed a search warrant May 17 in Montgomery County, Maryland, in connection with allegations of stolen property in luggage from Reagan National Airport that was brought to the department’s attention in February 2023.' 

'With the assistance of Montgomery County Police, Samuel Otis Brinton, age 35, of Rockville, Maryland, was taken into custody Wednesday pending charges of Grand Larceny,' the official said. 

Initial reports listed Brinton as being held in Maryland as a 'fugitive from justice', though this appears to refer the out-of-state charges originating from Virginia, which will require extradition.