President Donald Trump granted a pardon on Monday to a former Virginia sheriff who had been found guilty of federal bribery charges last year. The pardon effectively spares the sheriff from serving any time in prison, with Trump also using the opportunity to criticize the Justice Department under President Biden as ‘corrupt.’
Trump expressed his sympathy for Sheriff Scott Jenkins, along with his wife Patricia and their families, stating that they have endured significant hardships. The pardon granted by Trump was described as full and unconditional.
‘He will NOT be going to jail tomorrow, but instead will have a wonderful and productive life.’
The recipient of the pardon, Jenkins, had previously served as a sheriff in Virginia, overseeing an area located approximately two hours outside of Washington, D.C. He was convicted by a jury in December 2024 for the offense of accepting bribes totaling over $75,000 in exchange for granting individuals appointments as auxiliary deputy sheriffs.
In March, Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
Jenkins was indicted on 16 counts, including conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds.
‘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”, Trump wrote.Â
‘This is why I, as President of the United States, see fit to end his unfair sentence.’Â
President Donald Trump issued a pardon on Monday for former Virginia Sheriff Scott Jenkins who was convicted last year of federal bribery charges, averting prison time for the officer
Since his conviction, Jenkins had appealed directly to the Trump administration for relief
Trump posted on his Truth Social account about his decision to pardon Sheriff Scott Jenkins
Jenkins took the stand in his own defense and said there was no connection between the payments he received and the badges he handed out.
The bribes came from several people in the form of campaign contributions, and in exchange, they were sworn into deputy sheriff positions and received badges and credentials, according to court documents and evidence presented at the trial.
But Trump said the trial was not fair to Jenkins.
‘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,’ he went on.Â
‘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,’ Trump wrote.
Testimony against Jenkins included two undercover FBI agents who were sworn in as auxiliary deputies in 2022 and immediately thereafter gave Jenkins envelopes with $5,000 and $10,000 cash, respectively.
Another individual, northern Virginia businessman Rick Rahim, testified that Jenkins helped him achieve restoration of his gun rights in 2019 and 2020 and then had him deputized in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars in cash payments and loans that were never repaid.
Prosecutors said some of the bribes went to Jenkins’ campaign fund, while others were kept for personal use.Â
During his trial prosecutors said some of the bribes went to Jenkins’ campaign fund, while others were kept for personal use
Jenkins was convicted last year of federal bribery charges and was set to serve 10 years in jail
Rahim entered a plea deal earlier this year and will be sentenced for his role in January.
‘The bribe payers were not trained or vetted and did not render any legitimate services to the Sheriff´s Office,’ the Justice Department said at the time.
Since his conviction, Jenkins had appealed directly to the Trump administration for relief.Â
‘I believe wholeheartedly in the president,’ Jenkins said in April on a webinar hosted by the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association.
‘I believe if he heard the information, I know he would help if he knew my story,’ Jenkins said, referencing Trump.
Jenkins was indicted on 16 counts, including conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds
In issuing the pardon, Trump in his online post called Jenkins a ‘victim of an overzealous Biden Department of Justice.’ pictured, President Donald Trump, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Maj. Gen. Trevor Bredenkamp, commanding general of the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region are seen at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday
In issuing the pardon, Trump in his online post called Jenkins a ‘victim of an overzealous Biden Department of Justice.’
The top Justice Department official who announced Jenkins’ conviction last year did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Jenkins was first elected sheriff in 2011 and won reelection twice before his defeat in 2023. He ran as both a Republican and an independent.Â
This latest pardon follows Trump’s January pardon of almost everyone criminally charged with participating in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, a February pardon of the former Democratic governor of Illinois who was convicted for trying to sell former President Barack Obama’s vacated US Senate seat, and others.
