First Assistant United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell will serve as interim United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, pursuant to the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. The appointment of Nathaniel Mendell will take effect on March 1, 2021, subsequent to the resignation of the outgoing U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling, who is one of the 55 presidentially appointed U.S. Attorneys to have been requested to step down. The recent events are a result of the announcement made by Acting U.S. Attorney General Robert M. Wilkinson on February 9, 2021, in relation to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
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Appointment
Upon the departure of U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling, First Assistant United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell will take over in the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts as interim Chief Federal Law Enforcement Official. Lelling gave notice of his resignation on February 10, 2021, in response to the announcement made by Acting U.S. Attorney General Robert M. Wilkinson on February 9, 2021, extending the request of President-elect Joe Biden for the remaining 55 Trump-appointed U.S. Attorneys to clear their posts and allow a smoother process for the appointment of new U.S. Attorneys across the United States. Nathaniel Mendell will assume the position of Acting United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts pursuant to the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, effective March 1, 2021. He shall remain in effect for a maximum of 300 days or until a new U.S. Attorney for the district has been appointed by President Joe Biden and confirmed into the position by the Senate.
Educational Background and Bar Admissions
A graduate of the Amherst College in 1993, Acting U.S. Attorney Mendell attended law school at the Harvard Law School in 1996 and subsequently earned his Juris Doctorate in 1999. He served as an Editor in Chief of the Harvard Latino Law Review. United States Attorney Mendell has been an active member at the State Bar of New York since 2000 and has been granted admission to the Massachusetts State Bar since 1999.
Legal Career
Straight after law school, U.S. Attorney Nathaniel Mendel launched his legal career in private practice as a Litigation Associate at the Ropes & Gray LLP – a preeminent global law firm with a focus on the most critical business needs of their clients across their featured legal practices such as anti-corruption/international risk, asset management, appellate & supreme court, intellectual property, investment management, and life sciences. He served in the law firm from 1999 to 2003, prior to coming to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, serving in the capacity from 2003 to 2006. Top Federal Prosecutor Mendell then moved to the City of Boston after three years of working in Miami, Florida, and launched his long years of service in the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts in 2006. As an Assistant United States Attorney, Nathaniel Mendell was responsible for prosecuting a wide variety of cases, including drug trafficking offenses, illegal firearms, different types of fraud, human trafficking violations, money laundering, public corruption, white-collar criminal cases, among other violent crimes. After six years of being Assistant U.S. Attorney, Mendell was promoted into being the Chief of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force in 2012. Prior to becoming First Assistant United States Attorney, Acting U.S. Attorney Mendell was Chief of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit. In this position, Mendell demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and has led a team of 15 prosecutors, as well as several administrative personnel, through a great many investigations and prosecutions that were centered on the combat against drug trafficking and money laundering throughout the United States, Colombia, Europe, and the Middle East.
On March 24, 2021, Acting United States Attorney for the Massachusetts Nathaniel R. Mendell, along with the ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons, announced the arrest of one of ICE’s 10 most wanted in Massachusetts. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston arrested Friendly Grandoit, charged with one count of illegal re-entry into the United States after a previous deportation.
“The men and women of ERO Boston can be very proud of this arrest, which has removed an aggravated felon and known narcotics trafficker from our streets,” said Lyons. “ERO remains committed to apprehending dangerous criminals who continue to pose a real threat to public safety. This is another example of the dedicated work of our enforcement officers who never give up on their mission of protecting our communities throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and all of New England.”
Acting the United States Attorney Nathaniel Mendell has provided a valuable contribution to the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. He has been an extremely valuable asset in the district ever since. He has handled over a dozen jury trials and has contributed significantly to the creation of the R.I.S.E. Program of the District Court, aimed to promote rehabilitation and productive behavior, as well as reduce recidivism and allow a more efficient budget spending.
After leading the different units in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, Nathaniel Mendell has been appointed as the First Assistant United States Attorney to former U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling. Being second-in-command in the Office, Acting U.S. Attorney Mendell bore the responsibility of advising the U.S. Attorney in legal matters and decisions within the Office, on top of being in charge of the hiring process of incoming Assistant U.S. Attorneys and having to the day-to-day operations of the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.
United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts
Currently, the interim Chief Federal Law Enforcement Official of the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Nathaniel R. Mendell, represents the entire State of Massachusetts, as well as the 6.8 million residents of the district whom he shall also serve and protect. The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts is among the 94 U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the United States. It is the 44th smallest state in total area in the nation. Despite its small land and water area, the district of Massachusetts is currently the 15th largest population among the different states, with the country’s 12th largest economy and 10th lowest poverty rate.
Office Jurisdiction
As the incumbent Acting United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Nathaniel R. Mendell is in charge of leading and overseeing a staff of more than 134 Assistant U.S. Attorneys and support personnel, who are all committed to pursuing justice. There are approximately 18 Assistant U.S. Attorneys assigned in the Civil Division of the Office, which consists of four units – the Affirmative Civil Enforcement, the Asset Recovery Unit, the Civil Rights Unit, and the Defensive Litigation. The Criminal Division Office currently has approximately 83 Assistant U.S. Attorneys divided among the nine units – the Appeals Unit, the Health Care Fraud Unit, the Major Crimes Unit, the Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit, the National Security Unit, the Organized Crime, and Gang Unit, the Public Corruption Unit, and the Securities, Financial and Cyber Fraud Unit. The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts also employs 26 staff personnel and seven stay-in-school students. Acting U.S. Attorney Nathaniel Mendell shall lead the Office in the prosecution of all federal violations, including criminal prosecutions and civil litigations. Moreover, the Office is responsible for defending the United States and collecting debts owed to the United States.
Contact Details
Full Name: Nathaniel R. Mendell
District/State: Massachusetts
Public email ID: nathaniel.mendell@usdoj.gov
Boston Main Office
John Joseph Moakley
United States Federal Courthouse
1 Courthouse Way, Suite 9200
Boston, MA 02210
(617) 748-3100
Main
(617) 748-3696
TTY
Springfield Branch Office
Federal Building and Courthouse
300 State Street, Suite 230
Springfield, MA 01105
(413) 785-0235
Main
(413) 785-0394
Fax
Worcester Branch Office
Donohue Federal Building
595 Main St, Rm. 206
Worcester, MA 01608
(508) 368-0100
Main
(508) 756-7120
Fax
Social Media Profiles of Nathaniel Mendell
Username: Nathaniel Mendell
URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaniel-mendell-b773795/
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YouTube
Username: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts
URL: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfCpT2M3KooQ8ecebjDCt3g
Twitter
Username: U.S. Attorney MA
Tag: @DMAnews1
URL: https://twitter.com/DMAnews1
Updated: April 6, 2021
Rachael S. Rollins is the next State’s Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.
Updated: May 3, 2023