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Trump Pardons Virginia Sheriff Convicted in $75K Bribery Scheme, Citing Political Persecution

  • Writer: Victor Nwoko
    Victor Nwoko
  • May 27
  • 2 min read
Former Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins. Jenkins received a pardon from President Donald Trump on Sunday after he was convicted for accepting more than $75,000 in bribes. Trump hailed him as a ‘wonderful person’
Former Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins. Jenkins received a pardon from President Donald Trump on Sunday after he was convicted for accepting more than $75,000 in bribes. Trump hailed him as a ‘wonderful person’

President Donald Trump has granted a full and unconditional pardon to ex-Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins, a longtime ally and vocal supporter of the MAGA movement, following Jenkins' conviction on federal bribery and fraud charges.


The announcement was made by Trump on Memorial Day through his Truth Social account, where he claimed Jenkins had been wrongfully targeted by a politically motivated Department of Justice. Jenkins had been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after being convicted in December of conspiracy, honest services fraud, and bribery.


Trump called Jenkins a “wonderful person” who had been “dragged through HELL by a corrupt and weaponized Biden Department of Justice.” He added that the sheriff had been “persecuted by the Radical Left ‘monsters’” and declared that Jenkins “doesn’t deserve to spend a single day in jail.” Instead of incarceration, Trump said Jenkins would go on to live a “wonderful and productive life.”


Jenkins, who served as sheriff of Culpeper County for more than a decade, lost his re-election bid in 2023. His downfall came after federal prosecutors revealed he had accepted more than $75,000 in bribes in exchange for appointing unqualified businessmen as auxiliary deputies. These individuals reportedly sought the appointments to avoid traffic violations and carry concealed weapons without permits, rather than to perform any real law enforcement duties.


Prosecutors stated the auxiliary deputies were neither trained nor vetted and provided no actual service to the sheriff’s department. The appointments were described as personal favors bought with cash — a misuse of authority for private gain.


“We hold our elected law enforcement officials to a higher standard of conduct,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Zachary Lee following Jenkins’ conviction. “This case proves that when those officials use their authority for unjust personal enrichment, the Department of Justice will hold them accountable.”


Jenkins has longstanding ties to Trump’s political circles, including his selection as a fellow by the Claremont Institute, a right-wing think tank with deep connections to former Trump administration officials. In a webinar in April hosted by the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, Jenkins expressed hope that Trump or someone in his orbit would intervene in his legal case.


“I believe wholeheartedly in the president,” Jenkins said. “If he heard the information, I know he would help if he knew my story.”


That belief proved correct with Trump’s holiday pardon, sparking renewed debate over political favoritism and accountability in law enforcement.

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