A Secret Service agent is facing serious felony charges in Miami after authorities say an alleged fraternity hazing ritual left two men hospitalized with severe injuries. Marquez Christopher Pinder, 29, has been placed on administrative leave as prosecutors move forward with a case allegedly tied to Kappa Alpha Psi.
Pinder works in the Secret Service’s Miami field office and is described in an arrest warrant as a “dean of pledges” connected to the alleged Kappa Alpha Psi initiation activities. Prosecutors have also charged Jared Lamar James, 26, and Elijah Delano Dyous, 29, in the case. All three face felony charges that include attempted manslaughter, aggravated battery and hazing with a deadly weapon.The Miami Dade County State Attorney’s Office said investigators uncovered “alleged hazing incidents involving prolonged and repeated beatings with canes and paddles,” according to an Associated Press report. Authorities allege the violence occurred during multiple sessions in April after the two victims failed to correctly answer questions about the fraternity and its history.
An arrest warrant identified one victim as a University of Miami graduate law student and the second as a Miami Dade Fire Rescue employee. The reporting makes an important distinction in the case: the alleged activity was connected to an alumni membership process and was not an official University of Miami fraternity event.
The alleged beatings took place across four nights. Investigators said the violence stopped during the fourth session after blood became visible through one victim’s clothing. Authorities allege the men were then ordered to remove their clothes, place them in garbage bags and go home.
Court records cited by the AP say one victim later experienced vomiting, fever and intense pain before being hospitalized. Doctors treated kidney damage and performed skin grafts. The warrant said that without emergency medical care, “his injuries would have resulted in renal failure leading to death.”
The second victim denied being paddled when questioned by police, according to the same warrant, but medical records showed he received emergency treatment for injuries to his backside and “was intubated during his stay in the hospital to prevent further physical deterioration and death.”
Kappa Alpha Psi said the accused men are not active or financial members of the fraternity, have no official affiliation with a chapter and had no authority to conduct a membership program on the organization’s behalf. National President Jimmy McMikle also reiterated the fraternity’s zero tolerance position on hazing.
Miami Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle condemned the alleged conduct in a statement, saying, “In Florida, hazing is abuse and it is a crime.” She added, “Its victims too often lie in their graves and in hospital beds.”
The Secret Service has placed Pinder on administrative leave and is cooperating with investigators. Michael Townsend, special agent in charge of the agency’s Miami field office, said, “Any misconduct will be addressed swiftly and appropriately upon completion of the investigative and judicial process.”
Pinder has been released on $75,000 bond with house arrest, GPS monitoring and orders not to contact the victims. The AP reports his arraignment is scheduled for September 24. The charges remain allegations as the criminal case moves forward.
