Jenkinson ATMs Himself to Prison: $122K Forfeiture

TAMPA, FL – Greed landed Edward Jenkinson, 47, of Trinity, Florida, an 11-month federal prison sentence today after he admitted to systematically looting the bank where he worked. U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday didn’t just hand down time; he also ordered Jenkinson to forfeit a staggering $122,000 – every penny of the stolen funds the feds could trace.

Jenkinson, a former officer at an FDIC-insured institution in Tampa, wasn’t just negligent; he actively pilfered from the very people his bank was supposed to protect. Court documents reveal a meticulously crafted scheme spanning from March to November 2024. Jenkinson, responsible for managing the financial center’s ATM and teller cash, decided those funds were his for the taking.

The scheme was brazen. Jenkinson redeemed certificates of deposit without customer consent, then covered his tracks by creating fake deposit tickets. He’d funnel the money into victim accounts, only to then steal it again, issuing cashier’s checks payable to himself. The bulk of the stolen cash quickly vanished – funneled into personal spending, according to investigators. This wasn’t a slow drip; it was a calculated drain.

But the CD fraud was only part of the story. Jenkinson also directly pilfered $52,000 from the ATM he oversaw. The destination of those funds? The usual vices: gambling, settling debts, and retail therapy. The man clearly believed he was untouchable, a dangerous assumption in the world of federal finance crimes.

The FDIC Office of Inspector General and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office didn’t see it that way. Their joint investigation unearthed Jenkinson’s elaborate fraud, bringing the full weight of the law down on him. He pleaded guilty on April 8, 2025, likely hoping for leniency – a hope Judge Merryday clearly didn’t share.

Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor secured the conviction and forfeiture order, sending a clear message: bank officers are expected to be custodians of the public trust, not predators. Jenkinson’s 11-month sentence, combined with the $122,000 forfeiture, serves as a stark reminder that financial crimes, no matter how cleverly concealed, will be pursued and punished. He’ll have plenty of time behind bars to reflect on his poor choices – and to wonder where his gambling money went.