Three men, including a U.S. Secret Service agent in Miami, face multiple felony charges after an investigation revealed fraternity hazing that left two people hospitalized with severe injuries, including kidney failure requiring surgery, according to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office.
Arrested over the weekend were Marquez Christopher Pinder, 29; Jared Lamar James, 26; and Elijah Delano Dyous, 29. Pinder is assigned to the Miami Field Office of the U.S. Secret Service.
One victim was identified as a former undergraduate student at the University of Miami in Coral Gables who was seeking membership in the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity according to an arrest warrant. This person is now a grad student at the University of Miami, officials said.
The other victim was “another prospective pledge,” according to the warrant.
The Secret Service said it's cooperating with investigators and has placed Pinder on administrative leave. He was released from jail after posting a $75,000 bond Monday and faces arraignment before a judge Sept. 24.
An attorney for Pinder, Justin Beckham, did not immediately return phone and email messages seeking comment Monday. Court and jail records did not list attorneys for the other two men.
Pinder has worked as a Secret Service agent since 2023, agency spokesman Matt Fagiana confirmed Monday.
"Any misconduct will be addressed swiftly and appropriately upon completion of the investigative and judicial process," Michael Townsend, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service's Miami field office, said in a statement.
An arrest warrant described Pinder as the "dean of pledges" for the Miami chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz, and Sweetwater Police Chief Sergio Diez announced details of their joint investigation in a statement issued Sunday night.
They said the investigation uncovered evidence of prolonged and repeated beatings using canes and paddles. Investigators said the alleged abuse began when victims failed to correctly answer questions about the fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi.
The incidents occurred April 1-3 at an apartment in Sweetwater, then moved to a residential home on April 4 in unincorporated Miami-Dade, investigators said.
Pinder, James, and Dyous are charged with attempted manslaughter with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and hazing with a deadly weapon.
In a statement, Fernandez Rundle said: "Among some, fraternity hazing might be seen as a tradition creating a sense of belonging and brotherhood, but since 2001, hazing in Florida has killed Chad Meredith, Robert Champion and Andrew Coffey while seriously injuring others."
"This case, with the victims requiring hospitalization, provide clear-cut examples of hazing's danger," she said. "In Florida, hazing is abuse and it is a crime. Its victims too often lie in their graves and in hospital beds."
The University of Miami said Pinder has no connection to the school.
“The agent, Marquez Christopher Pinder is in no way affiliated with the University of Miami or the University’s undergraduate chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi,” an university statement said.
Jimmy McMikle, national president of Kappa Alpha Psi, told NBC News that none of the suspects are college students and had no authority to act in fraternity affairs.
"Kappa Alpha Psi is a non-hazing fraternity. We neither condone nor tolerate acts of hazing behavior within our organization or from our membership," McMikle said.
"They do not have an official affiliation with any chapter nor any official role with the organization. Likewise, they do not have any authority to conduct any program or authorize any process on our behalf. We have and will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement as they conduct their investigation to help with the administration of justice as it should unfold."
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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