A former sheriff in Virginia who was found guilty of bribery was given a full pardon by President Trump on Monday. Trump said that the “weaponized” Justice Department under Biden had hurt him.
Trump released Scott Jenkins from prison after he was found guilty in December of taking more than $70,000 in bribes to name local businesses as extra deputy sheriffs in the office.
Trump said on Truth Social on Monday that the pardon was being given because “Sheriff Scott Jenkins, his wife Patricia, and their family have been dragged through HELL by a Corrupt and Weaponized Biden DOJ.”
He was found guilty of one count of conspiracy, four counts of honest services mail and wire fraud, and seven counts of bribery involving public funds schemes. In 2023, Jenkins lost his bid to become sheriff of Culpeper County in Northern Virginia after more than ten years in office.
People, including two FBI undercover agents, are said to have given Jenkins money and other things of value as bribes, according to the charges.
They said that he gave them badges and certificates even though he wasn’t trained, hadn’t been screened, and wasn’t doing any work for the sheriff’s office.
Jenkins was also charged with putting pressure on the local government to let one of the people who had a criminal past get their gun rights back.
Three of the men, including the man who had been convicted of a felony before Jenkins was found guilty, had already pleaded guilty to their roles in the bribery plot.
Jenkins was given a 10-year prison term in March.
“When Scott Jenkins took part in a cash-for-badges scheme, he broke his oath of office and the trust that the people of Culpeper County had in him,” said acting US Attorney Zachary T. Lee. “We expect our elected police officers to act with more integrity, and this case shows that the Department of Justice will hold them responsible when they use their power to get unfair personal gain.”
Trump, on the other hand, said that Jenkins was treated poorly and that the judge, who was picked by Biden, didn’t believe the proof Jenkins gave to clear his name.
“This Sheriff was hurt by an overzealous Biden Department of Justice,” he said. “He doesn’t deserve to spend a single day in jail.” “The radical left called him a monster and “left him for dead.” He is a great guy.
Additionally, Trump’s pardon came after Jenkins personally asked for forgiveness during a webinar last month.
Jenkins is said to have said that he didn’t have the money to appeal the decision and that he thought Trump would help if he heard the facts of the case and his side, which he couldn’t give to the jury.
Trump has said many times, but never provided any evidence, that the politicized Justice Department under the Biden administration was after him and other Republicans.
Since he took office again, he has released a number of controversial people from prison. These include Michele Fiore, a conservative commentator and former member of the Las Vegas City Council who was found guilty of wire fraud, and most of the people who were found guilty of crimes related to the January 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.
Because the Justice Department is looking into a number of public officials under Trump, Democrats have said that the president is going after political opponents.
