Kepler B. Funk. Esq.

Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer

Kepler B. Funk is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Florida, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. He has appeared pro hac vice in other jurisdictions including Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New Jersey, Texas and Kansas.

Mr. Funk is a Florida Board Certified Criminal Trial Attorney. Further, he was selected to serve, as one of only nine Florida attorneys, on the Florida Bar's Board Certification Committee for Criminal Trial Law. Further, he served as Vice-Chair of that committee. Mr. Funk is a LIFE Member of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys and previously sat on its Board of Directors. Additionally, he is a member of the International Criminal Defense Attorney Association, International Criminal Bar and is on the list of approved defense counsel to appear in the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands and in the Extraordinary Chambers for the Courts of Cambodia. He is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the American Association for Justice, the American Bar Association and is a former member of the Vassar B. Carlton American Inn of Court and Board of Directors Member of the Children's Home Society. Currently, he is a shareholder in Funk, Szachacz & Diamond in Florida. Mr. Funk was named to the list of Legal Elite for Florida Lawyers in 2007 by Florida Trend Magazine and to the top 100 trial lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers every year since 2012.

Mr. Funk has been counsel of record in thousands of criminal cases. Mr. Funk and Mr. Szachacz represented Selma Sodre, dubbed the "The Black Widow," the Brazilian National accused of murdering her 5th husband. After 3 years of investigation and world-wide investigative travel, a hotly contested jury trial commenced. Mr. Funk advocated for the hypothesis that the victim was not murdered, but drowned. Consequently, Ms. Sodre was acquitted of 1st degree murder. He also represented outspoken United States Postal Worker, Kevin Cotter, indicted in Federal Criminal Court in Orlando, Florida. Mr. Cotter maintained his innocence and following a jury trial, was acquitted. Mr. Funk and Mr. Diamond represented the NASA Space Shuttle quality assurance specialist, Billy Thornton., who was federally indicted on 166 counts of fraud involving the Space Shuttle by the United States Government. After conducting a massive investigation and litigating the first ever criminal prosecution involving the Space Shuttle, the case proceeded to the jury. Mr. Thornton was acquitted of all 166 counts. Recently, Mr. Funk conducted the defense of Tom Biddix in the first ever “Obamaphone” federal fraud prosecution in the U.S. The Washington, D.C. based investigation was moved to Tampa, Florida and Mr. Biddix was acquitted of all charges after a massive trial preparation and jury trial. In 2017, Mr. Funk and the firm represented Randy Patterson and the Anthony Livestock Company. As the nation’s largest cattle dealer, Mr. Patterson was originally indicted on 14 counts of Federal Wire Fraud in Wichita, Kansas. Mr. Funk advocated that the FBI had failed to garner enough evidence to sustain a conviction and after a jury trial, Mr. Patterson and Anthony Livestock were acquitted of all federal crimes. Mr. Funk has appeared and successfully argued before the Florida Supreme Court on behalf of a defendant sentenced to death. Mr. Funk and the firm have conducted numerous jury trials, representing citizens accused of money laundering, mail fraud, rape, lewd and lascivious acts, arson, murder, theft, DUI, murder-for-hire, drug trafficking, conspiracy, fraud and others. Mr. Funk has also represented victims of medical malpractice and nursing home abuse.

Mr. Funk is a frequent guest and commentator on a variety of legal issues. He has written an international criminal law column for Defender magazine and is a frequent guest on Court TV and truTV. His appearances include analyses of trials with Johnnie Cochran on Johnnie Cochran Tonight, with Nancy Grace on Pros and Cons, with Jami Floyd on Best Defense, with Ashleigh Banfield on Courtside, with Catherine Crier on Live, and with hosts Fred Graham, Diane Diamond, Roger Cossack, Amanda Grove and Jack Ford on Open Court. He has also appeared on ABC news with "20/20" correspondent Jim Avila. His trial analyses have included the cases of former NBA star Jason Williams, Scott Peterson, O.J. Simpson, novelist Michael Peterson and Michael Skakel. Additionally, his cases have been featured in Marie Claire magazine, on ABC, CourtRadio and hundreds of newspapers throughout the world. Mr. Funk is often sought after for his analysis and has served as the legal expert for USA Today’s Florida Today. His defense in the Pennsylvania lesbian murder trial he conducted is highlighted in an episode of Forensic Files- "Cries Unheard" and is the subject of the novel Lipstick and Blood by John Kearney.