Bipolar Lawyer Got in Over His Head, Committed $1M Fraud in 'Manic Phase,' His Lawyer Says
While he was still practicing in the $1,000-a-month law office his father established, Frank Plowden Jenkins II was doing fine.
But the bipolar Maryland attorney got into trouble when, in a “manic phase,” he rented fancy new space at $6,500 a month in White Plains and started investing in a NASCAR race team, his lawyer says. Yesterday, Jenkins, 45, was sentenced to a 46-month federal prison term for stealing $1 million from clients and lenders, reports the Southern Maryland News.
He pleaded guilty in November to multiple counts wire fraud and mail fraud, concerning a scheme that reportedly included forged signatures, fraudulent deeds of trust and a series of transactions in different bank accounts as Jenkins tried to cover up his wrongdoing.
“From a business point of view, it made no sense. However, in a manic phase: ‘I’m Frank Jenkins. I’m better than my father,’ ” said attorney William Brennan Jr., who is representing Jenkins.
Jenkins was disbarred by consent in 2009.
