U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz responds to questions from reporters during a news conference at the federal courthouse, Thursday, June 9, 2016, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
BOSTON (AP) — United States Attorney for Massachusetts Carmen Ortiz, who prosecuted the high-profile cases of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger, is stepping down.
Ortiz submitted her resignation as the state’s top federal prosecutor last week and spoke with Attorney General Loretta Lynch Tuesday to confirm her departure.
She will officially leave office Jan. 13, a week before Republican Donald Trump is sworn in as president. She was nominated to the post by President Barack Obama in 2009.
Ortiz won convictions against Tsarnaev, who is appealing his death sentence in the Marathon bombing case, and Bulger, who is serving life in prison.
She was the first woman and first Hispanic to be named U.S. attorney in Massachusetts.
“I have been honored to serve the people of Massachusetts as U.S. Attorney and to have been part of this Administration,” said Ortiz. “It has been a privilege to work alongside some of the most talented professionals in the Department of Justice. Together we prosecuted many significant cases that have resonated around the nation.
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