Markenzy Lapointe
Markenzy Lapointe | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2023 | |
| United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida | |
| Assumed office January 9, 2023 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Ariana Fajardo Orshan Juan Gonzalez (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1968 (age 55–56)[1] Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
| Education | Florida State University (BS, JD) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  United States Marine Corps |
| Unit | United States Marine Corps Reserve |
Markenzy Lapointe (born 1968) is an American lawyer who has served as United States attorney for the Southern District of Florida since January 2023.
Early life and education
[edit]Lapointe was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 1968, where his mother worked as a street vendor and his father was a tailor. Lapointe moved to Miami with his mother and siblings at the age of 16. They lived in the Liberty City neighborhood of Miami. He graduated from Miami Edison Senior High School in 1987 and then attended Miami Dade College. He drove a cab and worked alongside his mother at a restaurant in Key Biscayne. He served for six years in the United States Marine Corps Reserve and served a six-month tour in Iraq when the Gulf War erupted. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from the Florida State University in 1993.[1] He worked for a few years in banking before deciding to pursue a legal career.[citation needed] He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Florida State University College of Law in 1999.[1] He became a U.S. citizen in 1995.[2]
Career
[edit]From 1999 to 2001, Lapointe worked as a law clerk for Florida Supreme Court Justice Harry Lee Anstead. From 2002 to 2006, he served as an assistant United States attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Lapointe was a partner at Boies Schiller Flexner LLP and joined Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman as partner in 2017.[3]
U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida
[edit]On September 15, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Lapointe to be the United States attorney for the Southern District of Florida.[3][4] On December 1, 2022, his nomination was reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee by voice vote.[5] On December 6, 2022, his nomination was confirmed in the Senate by voice vote.[6] He was sworn in on January 9, 2023, by Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga.[7]
Personal life
[edit]Lapointe speaks English, Creole and French.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Weaver, Jay; Ovalle, David (December 7, 2022). "Milestone for Miami: First Haitian-American nominee for U.S. attorney named by Biden". Miami Herald. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
- ^ Pipitone, Tony (February 28, 2023). "From Haiti Through Liberty City to Top Federal Prosecutor in South Florida: the Unlikely Story of Markenzy Lapointe". NBC South Florida. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
- ^ a b "President Biden Announces Three New Nominees to Serve as U.S. Attorneys". The White House. September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. September 15, 2022.
- ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – December 1, 2022" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ "PN2640 — Markenzy Lapointe — Department of Justice". congress.gov. September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ "Markenzy Lapointe Swears Oath of Office as South Florida United States Attorney". United States Department of Justice. September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- 1968 births
- Living people
- Naturalized citizens of the United States
- 20th-century American lawyers
- 21st-century American lawyers
- Assistant United States Attorneys
- Boies Schiller Flexner people
- Florida lawyers
- Florida State University alumni
- Florida State University College of Law alumni
- Haitian emigrants to the United States
- People from Port-au-Prince
- United States Attorneys for the Southern District of Florida