RICHMOND, VIRGINIA - JANUARY 20: Culpeper County, Virginia, Sheriff Scott Jenkins speaks during a gun rights rally organized by The Virginia Citizens Defense League on Capitol Square near the state capital building January 20, 2020 in Richmond, Virginia. Jenkins has promised to deputize thousands of his county's gun owners if Democrats pass more restrictive gun laws. During elections last year, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam promised to enact sweeping gun control laws in 2020, including limiting handgun purchase to one per month, banning military-style weapons and silencers, allowing localities to ban guns in public spaces and enacting a 'red flag' law so authorities can temporarily seize weapons from someone deemed a threat. While event organizers have asked supporters to show up un-armed, militias and other extremist groups from across the country plan to attend the rally and show their support for gun rights. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins speaks to AFP during an interview at the Sheriff's Office in Culpeper, Virginia, a Second Amendment sancuary some 75 miles (120 kilometers) from Washington, DC on January 16, 2020. - When Sheriff Scott Jenkins swore to protect the US Constitution, he swore to uphold the second amendment -- and that means guaranteeing citizens the right to bear arms, even as the Virginia government weighs depriving state residents of what Jenkins considers an inalienable right. "The Constitution is very clear: the second amendment grants every citizen to bear arms, specifically against a tyrannical government," said the officer from Culpeper County, a rural region about 60 miles (100 kilometers) southwest of Washington. Since December, he has become a key figure in a pro-second amendment protest movement that has organized a protest in Richmond, the state capital, on January 20, 2020. At least 10,000 supporters plan on attending, according to media reports. The second amendment, which says that "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed," has proved controversial over the years and has been subject to many different interpretations. The Supreme Court has ruled that individuals have the right to keep firearms in their households, but left it to states to determine how the weapons could be transported. (Photo by EVA HAMBACH / AFP) (Photo by EVA HAMBACH/AFP via Getty Images) Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins speaks to AFP during an interview at the Sheriff's Office in Culpeper, Virginia, a Second Amendment sancuary some 75 miles (120 kilometers) from Washington, DC on January 16, 2020. - When Sheriff Scott Jenkins swore to protect the US Constitution, he swore to uphold the second amendment -- and that means guaranteeing citizens the right to bear arms, even as the Virginia government weighs depriving state residents of what Jenkins considers an inalienable right. "The Constitution is very clear: the second amendment grants every citizen to bear arms, specifically against a tyrannical government," said the officer from Culpeper County, a rural region about 60 miles (100 kilometers) southwest of Washington. Since December, he has become a key figure in a pro-second amendment protest movement that has organized a protest in Richmond, the state capital, on January 20, 2020. At least 10,000 supporters plan on attending, according to media reports. The second amendment, which says that "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed," has proved controversial over the years and has been subject to many different interpretations. The Supreme Court has ruled that individuals have the right to keep firearms in their households, but left it to states to determine how the weapons could be transported. (Photo by EVA HAMBACH / AFP) (Photo by EVA HAMBACH/AFP via Getty Images) WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has pardoned former Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Howard Jenkins.
The backstory:
The former sheriff was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for accepting over $75,000 in bribes.
Jenkins, of Culpeper, Virginia, was convicted in December 2024 of one count of conspiracy, four counts of honest services fraud, and seven counts of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Jenkins accepted cash bribes and bribes in the form of campaign contributions from co-defendants Rick Rahim, Fredric Gumbinner, and James Metcalf, as well as at least five others, including two FBI undercover agents.
Rahim, Gumbinner, and Metcalf have all pled guilty to their roles in the conspiracy.
In return for the bribes, Jenkins appointed each of the bribe payors as auxiliary deputy sheriffs, a sworn law-enforcement position, and issued them official Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office badges and credentials. The bribe payors were not trained or vetted and did not render any legitimate services to the Sheriff’s Office or the citizens of Culpeper County.
In addition, Jenkins pressured other local officials to approve a petition filed in Culpeper County Circuit Court by Rahim, a convicted felon, to restore his right to possess a firearm and which falsely stated that Rahim resided in Culpeper County.
READ MORE: Former sheriff sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for accepting over $75,000 in bribes
Word for word:
Here's what President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social account on Monday:
"Sheriff Scott Jenkins, his wife Patricia, and their family have been dragged through HELL by a Corrupt and Weaponized Biden DOJ. In fact, during his trial, when Sheriff Jenkins tried to offer exculpatory evidence to support himself, the Biden Judge, Robert Ballou, refused to allow it, shut him down, and then went on a tirade. As we have seen, in Federal, City, and State Courts, Radical Left or Liberal Judges allow into evidence what they feel like, not what is mandated under the Constitution and Rules of Evidence. This Sheriff is a victim of an overzealous Biden Department of Justice, and doesn’t deserve to spend a single day in jail. He is a wonderful person, who was persecuted by the Radical Left "monsters," and "left for dead." This is why I, as President of the United States, see fit to end his unfair sentence, and grant Sheriff Jenkins a FULL and Unconditional Pardon. He will NOT be going to jail tomorrow, but instead will have a wonderful and productive life."