An accountant who pled guilty to helping self-proclaimed “Annuity King” Philip Roy Wasserman in a $6.3 million fraud is asking a judge to provide a lighter sentence based on his bipolar disorder.

Kenneth Rossman, 65, a CPA and insurance agent, is due to be sentenced on Wednesday after pleading guilty in 2021 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, and one count of aiding and assisting Wasserman in the preparation and filing of false tax returns.

His court-appointed public defenders are arguing he should get a lighter sentence and no jail time because of his previously undiagnosed and untreated bipolar disorder, they said in a 27-page pre-sentencing report, first reported by Insurancenewsnet.com.

Wasserman, a former attorney, licensed insurance agent and owner of multiple financial companies, faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison after being found guilty in May on multiple counts of wire fraud and mail fraud, as well as conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Middle District of Florida.

Prosecutors are also seeking at least $6.3 million in monetary judgment, which federal prosecutors said he and Rossman swindled from elderly investors while promising 10% to 12% returns in a rapid-quote life insurance company startup called FastLife.

The jury in Wasserman’s trial found that some investors who were victimized were persuaded to liquidate traditional investments, such as annuities and to borrow from life insurance policies to invest in the venture. The victim-investors were not told about surrender fees and other costs associated with the liquidations. To further conceal the negative personal tax consequences, Rossman prepared income tax returns for victim-investors.

Instead of investing the funds for investors, Wasserman bought a lavish home, a beach-front house, luxury cars, jet skis, season sports tickets and paid Rossman.

At one point the company even hired baseball legend Pete Rose and country music star Billy Ray Cyrus to advertise FastLife on radio and television.

Wasserman is appealing his guilty verdict.

Rossman, who is facing a maximum of eight years in prison, should only be sentenced to 30 to 37 months because of his ailment, his attorneys said. Rossman is asking for probation, home detention and agreed to pay restitution, jointly and severally with Wasserman, for $5.99 million.

From August 2016 to January 2019, when Rossman participated in the scheme with Wasserman, he was "struggling with an untreated bipolar condition that caused him to become involved with high-risk behavior," his attorneys' report said.

"While Mr. Rossman’s undiagnosed and untreated mental health disorder does not excuse his criminal conduct, it mitigates it," his attorneys argue in the report.

"Since being placed on pretrial supervision, Mr. Rossman has learned how to appropriately manage his mental health through counseling and medication. The treatment has enhanced Mr. Rossman’s life by eliminating the racing thoughts and ending his high-risk behavior and poor decision-making, making him a better employee, better father, and better person,” his attorneys said.

Rossman has two sons, ages 13 and 20, who both suffer from autism and other medical conditions, according to his attorneys. Rossman's ex-wife died of cancer in early 2021, leaving him as the sole caregiver for their sons, the report continued.

Rossman worked at Wendy’s for 15 months during his pretrial release, the report said. He presently sells lawn services for a company in Bradenton, Fla, according to the report.