Secret Service agent charged in UM frat hazing case. Here’s what to know

Crime admin July 28, 2026 0 Comments

Secret Service agent charged in UM frat hazing case. Here’s what to know

A U.S. Secret Service agent assigned to the Miami Field Office was placed on house arrest Monday after being charged in a Kappa Alpha Psi hazing case that hospitalized a University of Miami student with severe kidney injuries. Two other men connected to the historically Black fraternity were also arrested in the case.

FULL STORY: Secret Service agent accused in Miami-Dade frat hazing bonds out of jail

Here are key takeaways:

Marquez Christopher Pinder, 29, faces felony charges including attempted manslaughter with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery and hazing with a deadly weapon. He posted a $75,000 bond and was placed by a judge on total lockdown house arrest with no contact with the victims, his co-defendants or the fraternity.
Jared Lamar James, 26, and Elijah Delano Dyous, 29, were also arrested. According to Pinder’s arrest warrant, Dyous assigned Pinder to be dean of pledges and James to be vice dean, and victims were questioned about fraternity history and struck with a paddle or cane if they answered incorrectly.
One victim’s injuries were so severe they required skin grafts to cover dead tissue, while a second victim had to be intubated and “received critical care to prevent further physical deterioration and death,” the warrant states. The alleged hazing occurred between April 1 and April 4 at locations in Sweetwater and unincorporated Miami-Dade.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said, “In Florida, hazing is abuse, and it is a crime. Its victims too often lie in their graves and in hospital beds.” Pinder’s attorney, Justin Beckham, told the Miami Herald his client was “grossly overcharged.”
Dwight Bullard, a former Florida state senator and longtime Kappa Alpha Psi member, said he feels “disgusted” that such incidents continue and warned they carry reputational and legal costs. Kappa Alpha Psi’s national governing documents explicitly prohibit hazing, and chapters have faced suspensions in prior cases, including a Miami University in Ohio chapter suspended through 2040 in 2025.

This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists.