Secret Service Agent and Others Charged in Hazing Incident in Miami

A U.S. Secret Service agent and two other individuals have been arrested for violent felonies in Miami. Authorities allege they conducted severe beatings as part of a fraternity hazing ritual in April, resulting in two people hospitalized with critical injuries.

One suspect, 29-year-old Marquez Christopher Pinder, works in the Secret Service’s Miami field office. An arrest warrant describes him as a “dean of pledges” for a Miami chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. The Secret Service is collaborating with investigators and has placed Pinder on administrative leave. He posted a $75,000 bond and will face arraignment on September 24.

The three men face charges after police discovered evidence of hazing involving prolonged beatings with canes and paddles. A University of Miami graduate student and another young man sustained injuries that might have been lethal without medical intervention. One required skin grafts and suffered kidney damage, while the other needed a breathing tube.

“In Florida, hazing is abuse and it is a crime,” said Katherine Fernandez Rundle, state attorney for Miami-Dade County.

Pinder has been a Secret Service agent since 2023. Agency spokesman Matt Fagiana confirmed this. Michael Townsend, the special agent in charge of the Miami field office, stated that any misconduct will be handled appropriately.

Pinder’s arrest warrant describes the incident. The graduate student claimed he and another were beaten over four nights in April for failing to answer questions about the fraternity’s history. The assaults ceased when one victim bled through his pants. Fraternity leaders then instructed them to remove their clothes and discard them in garbage bags before leaving.

The injured individuals experienced severe symptoms, including vomiting, fever, and pain. One required hospital admission for skin grafts and treatment to prevent kidney failure. The other victim was hospitalized, as medical records indicated, and needed intubation to prevent further deterioration.

In 2005, Florida lawmakers classified hazing as a felony if it results in serious injury or death, carrying penalties of up to five years in prison. This law followed the 2001 death of Chad Meredith, a University of Miami student who drowned while attempting to swim across a lake after consuming alcohol, as urged by fraternity leaders.