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US district attorney Totten to step down

Lists prosecution of Hancock hate crime among accomplishments of District Attorney’s office

GRAND RAPIDS — Mark Totten, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, announced his departure effective Monday, Jan. 20. President Biden nominated Totten on Nov. 12, 2021 and, after Senate confirmation, he began service on May 5, 2022.

“I’m incredibly proud of the work my team and I have done to protect the public, especially our more vulnerable citizens like children and seniors,” Totten said. “Over the past few years, we’ve secured major wins in our fight against gun violence, child exploitation, public corruption, hate crimes, consumer fraud, drug poisonings and other threats. I’m so grateful to have served alongside the amazing team in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan and the privilege I’ve been given to advance our mission.”

Totten said that over the past few years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan has furthered its mission to uphold the rule of law, keep the District safe, and protect civil rights in several important ways.

He listed the creation of a Civil Rights Team among the accomplishments of his office during his tenure. He said the office backed up its commitment to civil rights with two successful hate crimes prosecutions, including one in the Copper Country.

Totten highlighted the prosecution of Nathan Weeden, a member of a white supremacist group. Weeden was convicted of defacing Temple Jacob in Hancock with Neo-Nazi symbols. In addition, Totten mentioned the conviction of Seann Piettila of Pickford who plotted a mass-shooting attack on a synagogue in East Lansing.

Totten also mentioned the success his office has had in the areas of gun violence, violence against women, crimes against children, public corruption, computer fraud, environmental crime and illegal drugs.

Totten was born and raised in Kalamazoo where he still lives. He previously served as Chief Legal Counsel in the Executive Office of the Governor for the State of Michigan from 2019-2022. Prior to entering government service, Totten was a law professor at Michigan State University from 2008-2018, where he taught criminal law and criminal procedure.

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