In October 2022 Brinton was charged with felony theft in Minnesota after allegedly stealing over $2,300 of luggage from the baggage carousel after arriving on an inbound flight. Brinton allegedly arrived without any checked bags but still visited the baggage claim area, removed the Vera Bradley roller bag full of women’s clothes, and the baggage tag before taking an Uber to Brinton's hotel. Later, Brinton traveled with the bag to Europe and returned to Dulles Airport with the bag. It’s alleged that Briton lied to police initially before agreeing to give the clothes back. As of November 2022, Brinton is on a leave of absence from the Department of Energy.[21] A hearing related to the criminal complaint is scheduled for December 19, 2022