LAS VEGAS, Nev. – U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada has announced his resignation, effective at 11:59 p.m. on February 28, 2021.
“It’s been the honor of a lifetime to serve the District of Nevada, alongside our federal family, the committed public servants in our office, and our law enforcement partners,” said Trutanich. “The opportunity to serve here was more than I could have ever imagined, and I’ll leave knowing that the foundation is in place for our office’s continued success.”
Trutanich was sworn into office in January 2019, after unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate. He had been serving as the First Assistant Attorney General and Chief of Staff at the Office of Nevada’s Attorney General. Earlier in his career, Trutanich served as the Deputy Chief of the Violent and Organized Crime Section in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
During Trutanich’s tenure in the District of Nevada, the U.S. Attorney’s Office strived to prioritize public safety through targeted, impactful prosecutions and to promote ethics, diversity, and crime prevention. For example, through strong partnerships with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, as well as close collaboration with communities, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has continued to make gains in combatting human trafficking and conducting proactive narcotics and criminal enterprise investigations. And over the past two years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has placed a renewed emphasis on prosecuting crimes occurring on Indian reservations and colonies, particularly violence against Native American women.
In response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Attorney’s Office launched new initiatives last year such as Project Veronica, which focuses on prosecuting domestic violence offenders who illegally possess firearms. Similarly, prosecutors are holding accountable fraudsters seeking to exploit the public health crisis, including through unemployment benefits and CARES Act fraud.
In addition to overseeing the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Trutanich served on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, providing advice on policy and operational issues affecting the Department of Justice. Trutanich was the first U.S. Attorney from the District of Nevada to serve on the AGAC in nearly 25 years. Trutanich also served on a working group for the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice. Further, in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minnesota, Trutanich helped lead the Department of Justice’s nationwide efforts to reform Use of Force Policies, following a June 2020 Executive Order on Safe Policing for Safe Communities.
The District of Nevada, which encompasses the entire state of Nevada, is one of the largest of the 94 federal judicial districts. Trutanich recruited and onboarded more than 75 staff professionals and Assistant U.S. Attorneys, and established a new in-house training program. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is now composed of over 120 team members, responsible for conducting federal criminal prosecutions in the District and protecting the interests of the United States by pursuing and defending against claims in civil litigation.