How can someone identify a male bank robber after an armed robbery? Easy- realize the man is a woman. Karen Loeffler, the former of U.S Attorney of Alaska, cleverly prosecuted a 6’2” woman that everyone assumed was a man. “I put a picture on the overhead projector… and I said: ‘Men and women are different, but they are different from the back- and that’s not a guy’s butt!’,” Loeffler says.

Loeffler is “unapologetically herself,” according to her 16-year-old niece because she constantly went above and beyond in her career. Appointed in 2009 by President Barack Obama, Loeffler recently lost her job due to the administration switch. However, instead of dwelling on her termination, Loeffler and her coworkers have been celebrating an amazing political and judicial career. Both Loeffler’s cell phone and her work phones were constantly ringing on Tuesday, March 14th, as agents from the Secret Service, FBI, and lawyers all tried to catch up with the former U.S Attorney.

FBI Agent Mary Beth Kepner, a long time friend of the former U.S Attorney, was one of many callers. “Even as a U.S Attorney, she helped craft indictments for other attorneys … she would still help, get hands on … a lot of U.S Attorneys may not get to do that,” Kepner says about her best friend. Throughout Loeffler’s career, she was always hands on and helpful. Once, while Kepner was pursuing a wiretap for an important case, Loeffler flew down to Juneau in order to assist her friend. “I [Kepner] called her [Loeffler] up on the phone and she was willing to help, but she needed to come to Juneau … at the time there were no hotel rooms available in Juneau, so she basically said ‘If you put me up, I’ll come down!’,” Kepner says as she laughs.

Loeffler always had dedication to her work, no matter what the case she was presented. The best representation of the former U.S Attorney’s dedication and perseverance is symbolized through the case of Jim Wells. Wells, a 62-year-old man accused with multiple counts of homicide and gun charges, expertly planned the murder of two coworkers. Loeffler described his efforts to use a different car, utilize a non monitored area, and dispose of the murder weapon itself. “We used math, we used distance-time calculations using the speed limit … We were able to show the timing for him committed the murder, and a camera caught him going back within 20 seconds of the timeline … it was a lot of really good work to do the case,” Loeffler says enthusiastically. Although the gun was never found, Wells was still prosecuted to the best of Loeffler’s ability. Due to the efforts of Loeffler and her team, Wells is now serving multiple life sentences.

When Loeffler wasn’t pursuing murderers and perpetrators of white collar crime, she was exploring the world with her close friends and family. Loeffler has taken beautiful vacations, including biking across Hungary and New Zealand, hiking Hadrian’s Wall in England, kayaking in the Prince William Sound, and skiing in Canada. Loeffler began her college career as a skier at Dartmouth University, and still loves the activity years later. She has passed along her expertise to her niece, Rebekah Loeffler. “We go skiing a lot; we go camping,” Rebekah says. Both Loeffler and her niece love the outdoors. However, it appears that Loeffler doesn’t love all of what nature has to offer. The former U.S Attorney can stomach gruesome shootings and stare serial killers down, but Kepner admits that Loeffler is truly afraid of sea lions. “One of these stellar sea lions comes up … a couple feet from her [Loeffler’s] kayak and snorts on her,” Kepner says. “…she was pretty frightened by it, and rightfully so.”

Although many are disappointed by the termination of Karen Loeffler, Loeffler assures us that her replacement and colleague, Bryan Schroder, will do a just as amazing job. While Schroder works away prosecuting federal criminals, the next step for Loeffler will be exploring the world. Loeffler, Kepner, and other friends will be adventuring in Africa by climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Luckily, there will be no sea lions in the African desert for the beloved former U.S Attorney to face.