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Former Culpeper County sheriff guilty of taking $75K in bribes for badges

Crystal Graham
Culpeper County sheriff badge
(© eunikas – stock.adobe.com)

A Charlottesville jury convicted the former Culpeper County sheriff for accepting more than $75,000 in bribes in exchange for a law enforcement official badge.

Scott Howard Jenkins, 53, was convicted Wednesday and will be sentenced on March 31, 2025.

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 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.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Jenkins accepted bribes from Rick Tariq Rahim, 55, of Great Falls; Fredric Gumbinner, 64, of Fairfax; James Metcalf, 60, of Manassas; and 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.

Rahim, Gumbinner and Metcalf all previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the bribery scheme and will be sentenced at a later date.

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Crystal Graham

Crystal Graham

Crystal Abbe Graham is the regional editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, she has worked for 25 years as a reporter and editor for several Virginia publications, written a book, and garnered more than a dozen Virginia Press Association awards for writing and graphic design. She was the co-host of "Viewpoints," a weekly TV news show, and co-host of Virginia Tonight, a nightly TV news show on PBS. Her work on "Virginia Tonight" earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television.