A disbarred South Florida lawyer will spend the next three years behind bars for stealing from his clients. John Spencer Jenkins, 46, was sentenced to 33 months in prison for misusing over $750,000 of client funds.
According to plea documents and information provided during the sentencing hearing, Jenkins’ clients wired funds into his law firm’s Interest on Trust Account (‘IOTA’) business account and general business account for the purpose of receiving legal services from Jenkins.
In relation to his representation of one client’s estate, Jenkins admitted that the executor of the estate wired funds into his business accounts so that Jenkins would manage the distribution of the assets among his client’s designees. However, Jenkins wired those funds into separate accounts for his own personal use.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami made the announcement. FBI Miami investigated the case, and Assistant United States Attorney Altanese Phenelus prosecuted it.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge David S. Leibowitz emphasized the importance of holding accountable people with Bar cards because they are uniquely situated with holding the public’s trust as licensed attorneys.
Jenkins’ sentence marks the latest in a string of high-profile cases targeting attorneys who abuse their positions of trust for personal gain. As the public continues to lose faith in those who are supposed to serve them, law enforcement and the Department of Justice are cracking down on those who betray that trust.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-CR-60172-DSL.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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