For 6 months through the summer and fall of 2005, the federal district court in Tampa, Florida became the focal point of the government’s "War on Terrorism." Four men of Palestinian descent stood trial on charges of RICO Conspiracy, Conspiracy to Murder and Maim, Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to a Designated Terrorist Organization and Individuals and substantive counts of Money Laundering and Material Support. At stake was the future of these men and their families and, in many minds, the viability of the American criminal justice system, the security of the country and the integrity of the cornerstone of American freedoms, the United States Constitution and The Bill of Rights. The government presented a case built on a decade-long investigation that spanned the United States and reached across the seas to Europe and the Middle East. Thousands upon thousands of telephone and electronic conversations were intercepted, witnesses gathered by the dozens and experts within their respective fields identified and presented to the jury in support of the government’s allegations. At the end of the day and to the chagrin of the administration, Kevin Beck, leading a team of lawyers and a team of investigators, translators, consultants and staff from the Federal Defenders Office, stood next to his client, Hatem Fariz, and listened as the jury read verdict after verdict of Not Guilty.

A former classroom teacher and retired U.S. Marine Corps Officer, Kevin has spent his life committed to helping people and his community. Kevin’s strongest traits as a litigator can be traced to his former careers.

Kevin has been representing people accused of crimes for over 15 years in courtrooms all over Florida and the country. Kevin is admitted and has appeared in all Federal District Courts in Florida, and is admitted and has practiced in front of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. He successfully defended a businessman in Mississippi accused of attempting to murder his wife, then persuaded the State to dismiss a violation of probation that could have sent the man to prison for life. A Pinellas man accused of trying to kill his roommate when he torched their apartment then kept the man from escaping the flames was acquitted at trial. An Escambia man accused of raping a mentally retarded woman pleaded to a misdemeanor with no penalties after threatening trial. Kevin has represented a dozen men charged with First Degree Murder. In many instances, he was sought out by the presiding judge or an attorney associated with the case and asked to assist. In each instance, the case was resolved favorably for the client before or after trial. For 2 years, Kevin was a senior attorney with Capital Collateral Review. There he led a team of lawyers, investigators and mitigation specialists in the defense of individuals who had already been sentenced to death and faced execution. Known in some circles as the "brain surgeons of criminal defense," Kevin honed his skills in post-conviction and appellate work.

• Florida State University, College of Law, J.D., 1988
• Concordia College, River Forest, IL, B.A., 1980

• Florida, 1989
• U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, 1990
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida, 1990
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, 2002
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit, 1994
• U.S. Supreme Court, 2000

• President, Pinellas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
• Board of Directors, World Centers of Compassion