BY: STAFF REPORT | BocaNewsNow.com
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2024 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A South Florida attorney is facing federal charges filed by prosecutors who say he stole funds from his client and then fled the area. John Spencer Jenkins was nabbed in the Philadelphia area. He had practiced law in Fort Lauderdale. He is accused of pilfering $650,000 from his clients. He was recently disbarred and is now charged with wire fraud and money laundering. The United States Department of Justice provided these details to BocaNewsNow.com:
“U. S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of FBI, Miami Field Office announced the unsealing of an indictment charging John Spencer Jenkins, 54, formerly of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. As alleged in the indictment, Jenkins, while working as a lawyer, was entrusted with $643,399.35 in proceeds from a client’s estate that were supposed to be distributed to the client’s heirs. Instead of disbursing the funds to the decedent’s heirs, the indictment alleges Jenkins had the funds deposited into his firm’s Interest on Trust Account only to then take the funds for his own personal gain, laundering the funds through another account in the process.
Jenkins was arrested in Philadelphia, Pa., on the Southern District of Florida indictment. Jenkins is charged with three counts of wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and three counts of money laundering, each of which carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. If Jenkins is convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U. S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
FBI investigated this matter. Assistant U. S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller is prosecuting the case. An indictment contains mere allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.”
