Maria Chapa Lopez

Maria Chapa Lopez is the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida for the U.S. Department of Justice. Ms. Lopez is an American attorney and was the first Hispanic woman to serve this post.

Ms. Lopez’s nomination was made by the United States President, Donald Trump on May 10, 2018. The United States Senate received her nomination on May 15, 2018, and they confirmed Lopez’s nomination through a voice vote, on August 28, 2018. Maria Chapa Lopez swore as the United States Attorney of the Middle District of Florida on September 4, 2018. The position was earlier held by A. Lee Bentley III.

Lopez, at the post of the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer, will be handling various federal felonies, within the Middle District of Florida. She will be also responsible for the civil actions and the tax affairs of the government.

Table of Contents

Law Career
Academic Background
Contact Details
Tampa (Headquarters) Office
Tampa Office – (Headquarters)
Jacksonville Office
Orlando Office
Ft. Myers Office
Ocala Office
Social Media Profiles of Maria Chapa Lopez

Law Career

Before her association with the USAO, Maria Chapa Lopez served in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. She attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel there. She served there for more than eleven years.

Between April 2000 to April 2016, Maria Chapa Lopez has served as the Assistant U.S. Attorney in Middle Florida USAO. She handled the prosecution of federal felonies of complex opioid cases, money laundering cases, fraud, and maritime transnational drug trafficking establishments. Her contribution to the prosecution of the world’s most dominant drug trafficker, El Chapo, was highly appreciated. Ms. Lopez worked as the DOJ Deputy Attaché, from April 2016 to January 2018, in the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.

Maria Chapa Lopez has served as the interim U.S. Attorney of the Middle District of Florida earlier. She was appointed officially to the post by United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions on January 3, 2018.

Academic Background

Maria Chapa Lopez joined the University of Texas, from where she completed her undergraduate degree in Bachelor of Arts. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from the South Texas College of Law, Houston, Texas. At the University, Maria Chapa Lopez also worked as the Assistant Editor of the South Texas Law Review. She completed her Master of Laws (L.L.M.) from the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, Charlottesville, Virginia.