In a statement posted on Truth Social Monday, President Donald Trump announced he is granting a “full and unconditional pardon” to Scott Jenkins, a former Virginia sheriff convicted of conspiracy, honest services fraud, and bribery. Jenkins was scheduled to report to federal prison on Tuesday.
Trump, in his announcement, asserted, “This Sheriff is a victim of an overzealous Biden Department of Justice, and doesn’t deserve to spend a single day in jail.” He further characterized Jenkins as a “wonderful person, who was persecuted by the Radical Left ‘monsters,’ and ‘left for dead.’”
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Trump concluded, “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.”
Jenkins, the former sheriff of Culpeper County, was sentenced in March to 10 years in federal prison. This sentencing occurred under the Trump administration, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Western District of Virginia. A jury convicted him in December 2024 on one count of conspiracy, four counts of honest services fraud, and seven counts of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds.
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The charges stemmed from Jenkins accepting over $75,000 in bribes, often disguised as campaign contributions, from three co-defendants and others, including two undercover FBI agents. In return, Jenkins appointed these individuals as auxiliary deputy sheriffs within his department.
At the time of Jenkins’ sentencing, acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee stated, “Scott Jenkins violated his oath of office and the faith the citizens of Culpeper County placed in him when he engaged in a cash-for-badges scheme.”
Lee added, “We hold our elected law enforcement officials to a higher standard of conduct and this case proves that when those officials use their authority for unjust personal enrichment, the Department of Justice will hold them accountable. I am grateful to the FBI for their tireless work on this investigation.”
Scott Jenkins was first elected sheriff of Culpeper County in 2011, taking office in January 2012. He was subsequently reelected in 2015 and 2019.
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