Mark Totten, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, has announced he will be stepping down from his role next Monday, January 20 after serving since May 5, 2022, when he began his tenure following a Senate confirmation on April 27, 2022. During his time as U.S. Attorney, Totten's office has taken significant strides in combating gun violence, prosecuting cases of public corruption, and protecting civil rights, stating he is "incredibly proud of the work my team and I have done to protect the public, especially our more vulnerable citizens like children and seniors," as per the U.S. Department of Justice.
In response to the rising rates of gun violence, Totten's office prioritized prosecuting firearms traffickers and shooters securing several convictions, including the cases against Darnell Bishop and Dontrell Nance, Craig Hunnicutt, Jr., and Avis Coward, efforts accentuated by initiatives like the Safe Summer programs in 2023 and 2024 Totten's prosecution of violence against women and crimes against children has been equally vigorous, tackling cases of stalking, sextortion, and sexual exploitation by bringing individuals such as Mitchell Pierce, Samuel and Samson Ogoshi, and Arisknight Winfree to justice.
The office’s commitment to upholding the rule of law extended to rooting out corruption, as evident in the prosecution of Rick Johnson, a former Speaker of the Michigan House, for accepting bribes, and the creation of a Civil Rights Team to address hate crimes, which led to successful prosecutions of Nathan Weeden and Seann Pietila, as reported by the office. Additionally, Totten's team targeted consumer fraud, environmental crime, and the regional networks fueling the opioid crisis, such as the Diesel Freak case and the prosecution of James Smith for fentanyl distribution.
During his term, he made it a point to visit all 49 counties in his jurisdiction, participating in 311 meetings and events to strengthen partnerships with law enforcement and community leaders in 2023 alone; before he was appointed U.S. Attorney, Totten was Chief Legal Counsel in the Governor's office from 2019 to 2022 and a Michigan State University law professor from 2008 to 2018 his career began in Washington, D.C. at the U.S. Department of Justice, and he holds academic credentials from Cedarville College and Yale University – where he earned a law degree and a Ph.D. in ethics, details shared in the press release.
His resignation marks the departure of a figure deeply interwoven with his Michigan roots, having managed a team of approximately 42 attorneys and 48 support staff, and contributing nationally to the DOJ's Terrorism & National Security Subcommittee, the Civil Rights Subcommittee, and the Environmental Justice Subcommittee. The quest for a successor now begins to lead the federal law enforcement in Michigan's Western District, spanning half of the lower peninsula and all of the upper peninsula, with offices in Grand Rapids, Marquette, Lansing, and Kalamazoo.
