A former sheriff of Culpeper County, Virginia, was convicted by a jury in Charlottesville, Virginia, Wednesday for accepting over $75,000 in bribes, officials stated.
He accepted bribes in exchange for appointments as auxiliary deputy sheriffs, according to authorities.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Scott Howard Jenkins, 53, of Culpeper, Virginia, accepted cash bribes and bribes in the form of campaign contributions from co-defendants Rick Rahim, Fredric Gumbinner, and James Metcalf, as well as at least five others, including two FBI undercover agents.
In return, Jenkins appointed each of the bribe payors as auxiliary deputy sheriffs, a sworn law-enforcement position, and issued them official Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office badges and credentials.
The bribe payors were not trained or vetted and did not render any legitimate services to the Sheriff’s Office.
In addition, Jenkins pressured other local officials to approve a petition filed in Culpeper County Circuit Court by Rahim, a convicted felon, to restore his right to possess a firearm and which falsely stated that Rahim resided in Culpeper County.
Jenkins was convicted of one count of conspiracy, four counts of honest services fraud, and seven counts of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 31.
He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the conspiracy count, 20 years in prison on each of the honest services fraud counts, and 10 years in prison on each of the bribery counts.
Rahim, Gumbinner, and Metcalf all previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the bribery scheme and will be sentenced at a later date.
The FBI Richmond Field Office, Charlottesville Resident Agency is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Celia Choy and Lina Peng of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section (PIN) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie Smith for the Western District of Virginia are prosecuting the case. with assistance provided by PIN Paralegal Specialist Lauren Fastenau.