CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WRIC) — The Culpeper County Sheriff is in court for allegedly accepting bribes totaling at least $72,000 in exchange for deputy assignments in his county.
According to the United States Department of Justice, 51-year-old Scott Howard Jenkins, the Culpeper County Sheriff, accepted bribes in the form of cash and campaign contributions from at least eight people, two of whom were undercover FBI agents, since at least April 2019.
In return for the bribes, Jenkins offered the sworn law-enforcement position of auxiliary deputy sheriff and issued Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office badges and identification cards, which come with the authority to carry a firearm in all 50 states without a permit.
Jenkins also helped 55-year-old Rick Tariq Rahim of Fairfax County, who was one of the people he received bribe money from, get approval to file a petition to restore his firearm rights which falsely stated that he lived in Culpeper County.
“Scott Jenkins not only violated federal law but also violated the faith and trust placed in him by the citizens of Culpeper County by accepting cash bribes in exchange for auxiliary deputy badges and other benefits,” said U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh. “Our elected officials are expected to uphold the rule of law, not abuse their power for their own personal, financial gain.”
Jenkins has been charged with one count of conspiracy, four counts of honest-services mail and wire fraud and eight counts of federal programs bribery. Rahim is also in court, facing one count of conspiracy, three counts of honest-services mail and wire fraud and three counts of federal programs bribery.
In addition to Rahim, two other men accused of bribing Jenkins are in court as well. 64-year-old Fredric Gumbinner of Fairfax and 60-year-old James Metcalf of Manassas are each facing one count of conspiracy, one count of honest-services wire fraud and two counts of federal programs bribery.
If convicted, each of the four defendants face up to five years in prison for the conspiracy charges, up to 20 years in prison for each of the honest-service mail and wire fraud charges and up to 10 years in prison for each of the federal programs bribery charges.
