Newly appointed Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, Karin B. Hoppmann, is to replace the outgoing U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez by virtue of the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. Lopez announced her stepping down on February 26, 2021, in response to the request of the Biden Administration, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney General Robert M. Wilkinson on February 9, 2021, for the 55 remaining Trump-appointed U.S. Attorneys to vacate their posts. Karin Hoppmann shall begin leading the Office as interim Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer for the Middle District of Florida on February 28, 2021.
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Appointment
The Office of the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida has a new interim Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer. Karin B. Hoppmann has been appointed as the new Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida by virtue of the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, subsequent to the stepping down of the U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez. The outgoing U.S. Attorney Lopez is among the 55 remaining Trump-appointed U.S. Attorneys. They have been requested to vacate their posts in line with the Biden Administration’s transitioning into position. Acting U.S. Attorney General Robert M. Wilkinson has made the announcement of the aforementioned request on behalf of the Department of Justice on February 9, 2021, to which U.S. Attorney Lopez responded by submitting her letter of resignation on February 27, 2021. Hoppmann shall begin performing duties as an Acting U.S. Attorney starting on February 28, 2021, and shall continue to do so for the next 300 days or up to the time that President Joe Biden and the Senate has been able to nominate and confirm a new U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida.
Educational Background and Bar Admissions
Karin Hoppmann graduated from Yale University in 1994, earning her Bachelor of Arts Degree and graduating Cum Laude and with distinction in her major. She later received her Juris Doctorate from the Vanderbilt University School of Law, where she thrived as a John W. Wade Scholar. U.S. Attorney Hoppmann graduated from law school in 1997 and was elected to be a member of the Order of the Coif. On top of that, she served as the Executive Editor of the Law Review of the Vanderbilt University School of Law. U.S. Attorney Karin Hoppmann has been granted admission into the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals Bar on August 14, 2000, and has also had an active membership status in the Florida State Bar since May 1, 2016.
Legal Career
Immediately launching her legal career, Acting U.S. Attorney Hoppman joined the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th circuit as a Law Clerk under the Honorable Gerald Bard Tjoflat. As an exceptionally great scholar, she has been chosen during the Department of Justice’s annual recruitment cycle to be a part of the Honor Program of the Attorney General, wherein she worked for the Criminal Appellate Division of the Department of Justice straight after her judicial clerkship.
Following her service at the Criminal Appellate Division, U.S. Attorney Hoppmann joined the Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney. Her stint in the Eastern District of Virginia lasted until 2002 when Acting U.S. Attorney Karin Hoppmann became a part of the Office of the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Appellate Division. Within her almost two decades of service in the Office, Acting United States Attorney, Hoppmann has held several leadership roles, including being appointed as an Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney in 2008. She held the position for two years, remaining in the capacity until 2010. Later on, U.S. Attorney Hopmmann became the Senior Litigation Counsel, providing legal analysis and possible legal solutions for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. Karin Hoppmmann served in the position for a year prior to being appointed as the First Assistant United States Attorney to the former U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez after being confirmed by the Senate as the Top Federal Prosecutor for the Middle District of Florida in September of 2018.
Then First Assistant U.S. Attorney Hoppmann has worked well in tandem with former U.S. Attorney Lopez in providing dedicated and efficient service to the citizens of the Middle District of Florida. With their strong sense of partnership, they were able to lead the Office in prosecuting over 560 violent crime and firearms over the past three years. Apart from that, the Office of the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida now has a Jacksonville Crime Gun Intelligence Center and an expanded Project Safe Neighborhoods across Fort Myers, Jacksonville, and Tampa in order to shift the focus of the Office into violent crime and firearms prosecutions. Their collaboration has also led to the implementation of the Project Guardian Strategy Opioid Prosecutions, which was created in response to the nationwide opioid epidemic. In relation to this, over 100 opioid-related drug trafficking cases have been charged by the Office.
Honors and Awards
As a distinguished public servant and prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Karin Hoppmann has received numerous recognitions and awards. In 2016, she became a recipient of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys Director’s Award in acknowledgement of her Superior Performance in the Litigation Team. On June 16, 2017, U.S. Attorney Hoppmann has also been recognized at the 33rd Director’s Awards Ceremony.
Office Jurisdiction
Now the interim Chief Federal Law Enforcement Official for the Middle District of Florida, Karin B. Hoppmann, is in charge of overseeing a staff of over 251, comprising of 133 Assistant U.S. Attorneys and 118 support personnel that have been assigned across the five-division offices in Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Ocala, Orlando, and Tampa. Moreover, Acting U.S. Attorney Hoppmann is to lead the Office of the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida to serve 35 of the 67 counties of Florida and provide consistent and effective services to its citizens. The Office shall be responsible for prosecuting all of the federal violation cases and civil litigations within the district in which the United States is a party. Furthermore, the Office shall collect the debts owed to the United States.
Contact Details
Full Name: Karin Bethany Hoppmann
District/State: Middle District of Florida
Public email ID: karin.hoppmann@usdoj.gov
Tampa Headquarters
400 North Tampa Street
Suite 3200
Tampa, FL 33602
(813) 274-6000
Main
(813) 274-6358
Fax
Jacksonville Branch Office
300 N. Hogan Street
Suite 700
Jacksonville, FL 32202
(904) 301-6300
Main
(904) 301-6310
Fax
Orlando Branch Office
400 W. Washington Street
Suite 3100
Orlando, FL 32801
(407) 648-7500
Main
(407) 648-7643
Fax
Fort Myers Branch Office
2110 First Street
Suite 3-137
Ft. Myers, FL 33901
(239) 461-2200
Main
(239) 461-2219
Fax
Ocala Branch Office
35 S.E. 1st Avenue
Suite 300
Ocala, FL 34471
(352) 547-3600
Main
(352) 547-3623
Fax
Social Media Profiles of Karin Hoppmann
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YouTube
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Username: USAO Middle Florida
Tag: @USAO_MDFL
URL: https://twitter.com/USAO_MDFL
Updated: March 31, 2021
Roger B. Handberg III is the next State’s Attorney for the Middle District of Florida. His biography can be found here.
Updated: August 8, 2022