A U.S. Secret Service agent and two other men have been arrested in the Miami area on felony charges stemming from a violent hazing incident linked to a fraternity ritual in April, authorities said. The case involves repeated beatings that left two individuals hospitalized with serious injuries, including one who required skin grafts and suffered kidney damage.
Marquez Christopher Pinder, 29, who is assigned to the Secret Service’s Miami field office, is identified in court records as the “dean of pledges” for a local chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. The Secret Service confirmed that Pinder has been with the agency since 2023 and stated it is cooperating with investigators. He has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the proceedings.
Miami-Dade County authorities charged Pinder and two other men last week with multiple felony counts, including hazing with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with great bodily harm, and attempted manslaughter. According to the state attorney’s office, the assaults involved “prolonged and repeated beatings with canes and paddles” over four nights in early April at an apartment and an off-campus residence.
Court documents indicate that the victims, including a University of Miami graduate student and another young man, sustained injuries severe enough to require emergency medical attention. One victim reportedly developed vomiting, fever, and intense pain, resulting in hospitalization where he needed skin grafts on his buttocks and treatment for kidney damage. Medical officials warned that without intervention, the injuries could have led to renal failure and death. The second victim required intubation during hospitalization due to the severity of his injuries, although he denied being paddled.
The arrest warrant detailed that the hazing was prompted by the victims' inability to correctly answer questions about the fraternity’s history. The beatings ceased only after one victim’s clothes became soaked with blood. Following the assaults, the fraternity leaders allegedly instructed both victims to strip and place their clothes into garbage bags before sending them home.
Katherine Fernandez Rundle, Miami-Dade County’s state attorney, emphasized that hazing is a criminal offense in Florida and condemned the brutal nature of the abuse. “Its victims too often lie in their graves and in hospital beds,” she said in a statement.
Pinder was released from jail on Monday after posting a $75,000 bond and is scheduled for arraignment on September 24. Attorneys for Pinder and the other defendants had not been identified publicly. Representatives for Kappa Alpha Psi did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and the Secret Service indicated that any misconduct would be addressed following the conclusion of the investigative and judicial process.