Alleged Near-Fatal College Hazing Incident Leads To Arrest Of Secret Service Agent

A Secret Service agent in Florida and two others were arrested in connection to a brutal, days-long college hazing ritual that nearly ended in death, officials say. https://t.co/atCq80k3JL

— NBC News (@NBCNews) July 27, 2026

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The agent, Marquez Pinder, 29, was booked into a Miami jail on felony charges of hazing, attempted manslaughter and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, jail records show. Prosecutors have charged two other men with the same counts; neither are Secret Service agents.

According to an arrest warrant reviewed by The New York Times, investigators identified the victim as a University of Miami law student and the fraternity involved as Kappa Alpha Psi, which officially prohibits hazing.

The Secret Service put Mr. Pinder on leave about a month ago, his defense lawyer, Justin Beckham, said on Sunday evening. Mr. Beckham declined to discuss details of the case but said it was “grossly overcharged.”

“He has served his country honorably, first in the military and then the Secret Service,” Mr. Beckham said. “We look forward to fighting these charges.”

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HAZING ARREST | A Secret Service employee has been placed on administrative leave after officials say he and two others were arrested in a hazing case that hospitalized victims.
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— WPEC CBS12 News (@CBS12) July 27, 2026

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The alleged hazing began inside an apartment April 1 in Sweetwater, Florida, and continued into April 2 and 3 at that location, prosecutors said.

The hazing kept going into April 4, at a residence in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, officials said.

The beatings caused Victim 1 to have to receive “extensive skin grafts” to his backside that had been “blackened by the presence of necrontic skin/tissue,” according to the arrest warrant.

That victim “continues to suffer from extreme pain and discomfort as a results of the” alleged beatings, the warrant said, with prosecutors saying he suffered kidney failure that could have been fatal.

“Additionally, ‘Victim 1’s’ mobility and quality of life have been significantly impacted,” according to the arrest warrant.

Victim 2 told investigators he was not a hazing victim but admitted to seeking medical care for injuries to his backside in April, officials said.

“These external and internal injuries mirrored those suffered by ‘Victim 1’ and were consistent with the statement provided by ‘Victim 1’ that ‘Victim 2’ was subjected to severe beatings to his backside,” the arrest warrant said.

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