MIAMI – A South Florida attorney, John Spencer Jenkins, 54, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has been charged with wire fraud and money laundering in U.S. District Court for embezzling approximately $650,000 of client funds. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced the unsealing of an indictment charging Jenkins.
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 yesterday, April 7, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pa., on the Southern District of Florida indictment. Jenkins is scheduled to have his initial hearing at 1:30 p.m., today, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Philadelphia.
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 carries 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.
The 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.
Jenkins is currently in custody awaiting his initial hearing.
Related Federal Cases
- Willie Weatherspoon, Money Laundering, Florida 2024 · Washington
- Morales Cacique, Money Laundering, Florida 2016 · Washington
- Academy Packing Co, Wire Fraud, Michigan 2002 · Alabama
- Eugene Fanfan, Tax Evasion, Florida 2016 · California
- Raphael Oswald, Wire Fraud, Theft of Public Money, Aggravated Identity Theft, Florida 2024 · Massachusetts
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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