In a bold act of justice that is already resonating across the Commonwealth, President Donald J. Trump on Monday issued a full pardon to former Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins, calling him a victim of political persecution by the Biden Department of Justice.
The pardon comes just months after Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison following a controversial conviction on charges related to bribery and fraud. Jenkins, a respected figure in Central Virginia law enforcement who served as Culpeper County’s elected sheriff for over a decade, had long maintained his innocence—and now, he has the backing of a former president who says the case against him was tainted from the start.
“Sheriff Scott Jenkins, his wife Patricia, and their family have been dragged through HELL by a Corrupt and Weaponized Biden DOJ,” President Trump wrote Monday in a statement posted to Truth Social. “This Sheriff is a victim of an overzealous Biden Department of Justice, and doesn’t deserve to spend a single day in jail.”
The Case Against Jenkins—and the Questions It Raises
Jenkins was convicted in December 2023 on one count of conspiracy, four counts of honest services mail and wire fraud, and seven counts of bribery. Prosecutors alleged that he accepted more than $70,000 in bribes, including from two undercover FBI agents, in exchange for naming individuals as “auxiliary deputy sheriffs” with official-looking credentials—despite those individuals not being trained, vetted, or offering services to the sheriff’s office.
The Biden-appointed U.S. Attorney in the case painted the former sheriff as someone who “violated his oath of office,” while Jenkins and his supporters insisted that he was set up by a federal agency looking to score a headline and intimidate conservative law enforcement officials.
President Trump echoed this view, suggesting the trial was unfair from the beginning. He pointed specifically to the conduct of the federal judge—appointed by President Biden—who, according to Trump, refused to allow key evidence that could have exonerated Jenkins.
Trump Steps In After Personal Plea
Jenkins, who has long been a supporter of President Trump and strong advocate of law and order in rural Virginia, reportedly made a direct plea for clemency in recent weeks. During a webinar last month, he said he lacked the financial resources to appeal and believed that if President Trump heard the full story, he would step in.
And that’s exactly what happened.
“He is a wonderful person, who was persecuted by the Radical Left ‘monsters,’ and ‘left for dead,’” Trump said. “We’re correcting that today.”
This case is a stark reminder of the lengths the Biden DOJ will go to target and silence political opponents, including those in law enforcement who refused to bend the knee to progressive policies.
