Former Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery in cash-for-badges scheme

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A former Virginia sheriff was convicted Wednesday night on federal bribery charges for deputizing individuals in exchange for cash payments.

The jury in Charlottesville, Virginia, convicted former Culpeper Sheriff Scott Jenkins on all counts after several hours of deliberations.

Jenkins was indicted in 2023 on 16 counts, including conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds.

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, according to news reports.

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.

Rahim entered a plea deal earlier this year and will be sentenced for his role in January.

Prosecutors said some of the bribes went to Jenkins’ campaign fund, while others were kept for personal use.

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.

In 2019, Jenkins made headlines when he vowed to deputize county residents if the then-newly elected Democratic majority in the state legislature passed what he called “further unnecessary gun restrictions.”

Attorneys for Jenkins did not respond to an email on Thursday asking whether they plan to appeal the verdict. A sentencing hearing has been set for March 31.

The Associated Press