Rick Yarborough

Washington, D.C.

Senior Investigative Producer at WRC-TV (Washington, DC)

Senior Investigative Producer for NBC Washington. Husband, Carolina Boy & Dolly's #1 fan. Send tips: [email protected].

Articles

Ex-U.S. attorney says he fears Culpeper pardon by Trump sends 'get-out-of-jail-free' message

1 week ago | nbcwashington.com | Ted Oberg |Rick Yarborough

Former Culpeper County, Virginia, sheriff Scott Jenkins was expected in federal prison on Tuesday but will no longer head there, after a Memorial Day pardon by President Donald Trump. A jury convicted Jenkins in December in a yearslong bribes-for-badges scheme the News4 I-Team has covered extensively. We've heard from sources and from Jenkins himself, speaking on a podcast, that he wanted a pardon and was encouraging people he knew to help make it happen.
Trump pardons former Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins found guilty in bribes for badges scheme

1 week ago | nbcchicago.com | Ted Oberg |Rick Yarborough |Jeff Piper

Just hours before he was reportedly due to report to federal prison, President Donald Trump said he was pardoning former Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins. A jury found Jenkins guilty back in December in a bribes-for-badges scheme. A judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison. The News4 I-team first reported the federal investigation into Jenkins before he was indicted. Since his conviction, Jenkins maintained he did nothing wrong and campaigned for Trump’s attention on at least one podcast.
Advocates worry about future of Chesapeake Bay

2 weeks ago | nbcwashington.com | Ted Oberg |Rick Yarborough |Jeff Piper

The Chesapeake Bay is the healthiest it has been, according to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. The 2024 Report Card gave the Bay a C+ - a grade the Bay hasn't received since 2002. But conservationists and advocates told the News4 I-Team they've never experienced anything like the chaos and proposed cuts of the past five months. According to those experts, it is already putting decades of environmental progress in jeopardy.
How Trump's charging station funding freeze is affecting the DC area

3 weeks ago | nbcwashington.com | Susan Hogan |Rick Yarborough

For a while, the road to driving a fully electric vehicle was gaining speed, with tax credits helping to fuel sales and dealer incentives driving up interest. "They were like, 'Hey, we have a two-year incentive to give you free charging with Electrify America,'" EV driver Antonio Zorrilla, of Falls Church, Virginia, said. That sold Zorilla, who said it's been easy to stay on the road in the D.C. area with just a 30-minute charge.
Kristi Noem links DC purse theft to immigration crackdown

1 month ago | nbcwashington.com | Ted Oberg |Rick Yarborough

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem responded Wednesday about the men arrested in connection to the theft of her purse in D.C. and said the arrests fit into her immigration crackdown. Noem's purse with about $3,000 cash inside was stolen as she dined with her family on Easter.
Prince George's council says member's residency is 'valid' as residents ask questions

1 month ago | nbcwashington.com | Rick Yarborough |Jeff Piper

NBC WashingtonSix Prince George's County residents gathered on a recent weeknight with questions they had surrounding their council member, Ingrid Watson. "I don't trust the council to take care of business with Ingrid Watson," said Jacques Chevalier. The News4 I-Team reported last summer on concerns some residents had about whether Watson lived in her district as required by the county charter.
Millions in campaign style ads hit TV, but there's no campaign

1 month ago | nbcwashington.com | Ted Oberg |Rick Yarborough |Jeff Piper

The News4 I-Team found six different nonprofit groups have spent more than $7 million airing ads on D.C. television stations promoting President Donald Trump and issues important to him since Inauguration Day, according to public filings available online. Under federal regulations, the groups have no obligation to disclose their donors. Almost as soon as the campaign-style ads started airing on D.C. television stations in January, viewers reached out to News4 with questions and concerns.
The hunt for wheelchair accessible taxis in DC

1 month ago | nbcwashington.com | Ted Oberg |Rick Yarborough |Lance Ing |Jeff Piper

On the afternoon we caught up with Kelly Mack, she just needed a ride to the grocery store. "This is the part where you kind of wait and see," said Mack, watching her phone. She's used a wheelchair since she was 10 - moved to D.C. after college, she said, because our city was trying to be more accessible. When the I-Team asked if the city was keeping its promise, she responded, "Here and there."D.C. does has a few options for passengers with wheelchairs. Metro trains and buses are accessible.
Culpeper County ex-sheriff sentenced to 10 years in bribes-for-badges case

2 months ago | nbcwashington.com | Ted Oberg |Rick Yarborough

Former Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison Friday after he was convicted in December of all 12 conspiracy, fraud and bribery charges against him. In federal court in Charlottesville on Friday morning, the judge said Jenkins took an oath and failed. "The jury decided you are in fact a criminal," the judge said. Jenkins also received three years of probation after his sentence. He was not taken into custody immediately, as the government requested.
Agents target immigrants with prior convictions but no pending criminal charges

2 months ago | nbcwashington.com | Rick Yarborough

It's mid-morning in Hagerstown, Maryland, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been at work for hours. They're part of President Donald Trump's ramped-up efforts to deport undocumented immigrants. After hours of surveillance, a team the News4 I-Team witnessed made its third arrests of the day. "We're with immigration. We have a warrant for your arrest," one of the agents told a 47-year-old Venezuelan man stopped as he approached his work van.