Scott Howard Jenkins

Scott Howard Jenkins served as the elected Sheriff of Culpeper County, Virginia from 2012 to 2023. He was convicted in December 2024 on charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, honest services mail fraud, three counts of honest services wire fraud, and seven counts of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. Jenkins ran what federal prosecutors described as a "cash-for-badges" scheme — accepting more than $75,000 in cash payments and campaign contributions from Northern Virginia businessmen in exchange for appointing them as auxiliary deputy sheriffs, a sworn law-enforcement position. The appointees received official Culpeper County Sheriff's Office badges and credentials despite being unvetted and untrained, and rendered no legitimate services. Evidence at trial included two undercover FBI agents who were sworn in as auxiliary deputies in 2022 and immediately handed Jenkins envelopes containing $5,000 and $10,000 in cash.