Three men, including a U.S. Secret Service agent, face multiple felony charges after an investigation revealed alleged fraternity hazing incidents that left victims hospitalized with severe injuries, including kidney failure requiring surgery, the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office reports.
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.
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.
READ MORE: Secret Service agent accused in Miami-Dade frat hazing bonds out of jail
The law firm Morgan & Morgan is representing one of the victims, said Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan and attorney Thomas Hasty.
"Our client suffered severe physical injuries and lasting psychological damage, and we commend the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office and the supporting law enforcement agencies for their diligence in investigating this case," said the lawyers in a statement.
“As the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office pursues criminal justice, we are simultaneously pursuing civil justice by working to hold every responsible person and organization accountable," the Morgan & Morgan lawyers said.
“No student should have to risk serious injury or death to earn friendship or acceptance. Hazing is not tradition—it is abuse. Our goal is justice for our client and lasting change to ensure no prospective fraternity or sorority member is ever subjected to this kind of violence again," they added.
Details of the investigation
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz, and City of Sweetwater Chief of Police 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 several months ago — from April 1 through April 3 — at an apartment in the 400 block of S.W. 107 Avenue in Sweetwater. The alleged hazing then moved to a residential home April 4 in the 10200 block of SW 183rd Street.
All three suspects — 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.
Said Fernandez Rundle in a statement: “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.”
Jimmy McMikle, the national president of Kappa Alpha Psi told NBC News that none of the three suspects are current 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 in statement to NBC News on Monday.
“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.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
