Maria Bastos

Maria understands the criminal justice with experiences in both prosecuting and defending persons accused with the commission of a crime. She has successfully litigated pre-trial motions, non-jury trials, and jury trials, and achieved favorable verdicts with each trial. Maria applies her knowledge of the justice system and her prosecutorial experience to provide an aggressive defense that is tailored to the specific facts of each case.

Prior to joining Hanlon Law, María was a statewide prosecutor in Tampa and Fort Myers and a state attorney in Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties. She investigated and prosecuted complex multi-defendant, multi-circuit state criminal cases—including, but not limited to, drug trafficking, human trafficking, racketeering, sex crimes, crimes against children, child pornography, travelling to meet a minor, unlawful sexual activity with a minor, and white-collar crimes. She has extensive experience with search warrant applications and executions, wiretaps, computer encryption, cybercrimes, domestic violence, driving under the influence, and drug investigations.

She graduated suma cum laude from the University of North Florida with a major in political science, and she is a graduate of Stetson University College of Law. She also studied advanced international advocacy at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Born in Costa Rica, María is fluent in both Spanish and English.