Kent Mawhinney, former lawyer and friend of the late Fotis Dulos, has had his law license suspended for a year.
The Superior Court decision says that the court found “by clear and convincing evidence that the respondent’s guilty plea, on June 13, 2025, to one count of interfering with an officer in violation of (state law) constitutes a ‘serious crime’ within the meaning of Practice Book Section 2-40.”
The Practice Book includes rules of professional conduct, rules for court conduct and more.
The court suspended Mawhinney from the practice of law for one year, retroactive to June 13, 2025, records show.
A call to a number listed for Mawhinney resulted in the person who answered the phone saying “he is not here.” An email seeking comment also was sent.
Mawhinney in June pleaded guilty to a reduced charge in connection with the disappearance and death of Jennifer Farber Dulos, taking a plea deal that allowed him to avoid any more time behind bars.
Farber Dulos, a mother of five, disappeared on May 24, 2019, after police believe Dulos was lying in wait at her New Canaan home. At the time, the two were involved in a contentious divorce proceedings and a custody battle.
Farber Dulos was declared legally dead in 2023 after never being seen or heard from again. Her body has never been found.
Mawhinney took the plea deal during a hearing at Stamford Superior Court, according to the clerk’s office. He pleaded guilty under the Alford doctrine to one count of interfering with police.
An Alford plea allows defendants to take a plea bargain while maintaining that they dispute the allegations but acknowledge that there is likely enough evidence to convict them. Mawhinney had been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit murder, but prosecutors did not believe they had enough evidence to pursue that charge.
During previous court hearings, Mawhinney’s then attorney, Jeffrey Kestenband, indicated that his client would be taking the case to trial.
“We express our condolences to Jennifer Dulos’ family,” Kestenband said in a June statement. “We were very pleased with the result today. Kent was not part of a conspiracy to kill Jennifer Dulos. The state acknowledged in court that there is a lack of evidence to prove that charge. The state’s acknowledgment is not surprising because Kent was not involved. He has been through a lot since his arrest, and he can now move on with his life.”
Mawhinney was sentenced to 11 months in prison, according to the court clerk’s office. The sentence equated to time already served, as he spent nearly a year locked up on bond after he was arrested in January 2020 and charged in connection with the death of Farber Dulos.
Information from Courant reporter Justin Muszynski is included in this report.