Three Men Charged in Miami-Dade for Near-Fatal Alumni Level Fraternity Hazing

A U.S. Secret Service agent and two other men have been charged in connection with an alumni fraternity hazing case in South Florida that left a man with kidney damage that prosecutors say nearly killed him.

According to The New York Times, the agent, Marquez Pinder, 29, was arrested Sunday on felony charges of hazing, attempted manslaughter and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. NBC News reported that two other men, Jared Lamar James, 26, and Elijah Delano Dyous, 29, were booked on the same charges by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.

Investigators identified the fraternity as Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., which officially prohibits hazing. The Times reported that the victim, now a graduate student, officially joined the fraternity in February and “was a member of a local alumni chapter because he is in graduate school,” not the university’s undergraduate chapter. The New York Times also reported that the hazing took place on four occasions at off-campus apartments. Prosecutors told NBC News the case involved “prolonged and repeated beatings with canes and paddles.” According to The New York Times, the student suffered acute kidney damage, required skin grafts, and would have died had he not sought emergency care. A second man was treated for similar injuries, both outlets reported.

In a statement to NBC News, Kappa Alpha Psi’s Grand Polemarch, Jimmy McMikle, said, “Kappa Alpha Psi is a non-hazing fraternity. We neither condone nor tolerate acts of hazing behavior within our organization or from our membership,” adding that the three men have no official affiliation with any chapter or role in the organization. The University of Miami told NBC News that Pinder “is in no way affiliated with the University of Miami or the University’s undergraduate chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi.”

Pinder’s lawyer, Justin Beckham, told The New York Times the case was “grossly overcharged.” NBC News reported that Pinder was placed on administrative leave, that the Secret Service is cooperating with investigators, and that he was released on bail and placed on house arrest.