Nikolas Kerest, U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont, speaks during a press conference in Burlington on April 30, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerVermont’s top federal prosecutor announced Monday he will step down from his post later this month.U.S. Attorney for Vermont Nikolas Kerest said in a press release that his resignation would be effective Jan. 20, the day Republican Donald Trump is inaugurated as president. Kerest was nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden in September 2021 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate that December.  The U.S. attorney job is considered a prime patronage post. It often goes to those with political connections to the president’s party and those serving in the role commonly step down when a new administration takes power.U.S. attorneys from other federal districts have also recently announced their resignations, including those serving in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire.“Public service is a gift, and I will forever be grateful to have had the chance to work towards a better Vermont — one that is safer for its residents, one in which civil rights are upheld, and one in which the rule of law is respected,” Kerest said in the press release. First Assistant U.S. Attorney for Vermont Michael Drescher will become acting U.S. attorney upon Kerest’s departure, according to the release.Kerest, in the release, said his office had “redoubled its efforts to address violent crime” during his tenure, and he highlighted a handful of cases, including the criminal prosecutions of Everett Simpson and Sean Fiore. Simpson, formerly of St. Johnsbury, was sentenced last year to 25 years in prison for kidnapping a woman and her son in New Hampshire in 2019 after he had fled from a court-ordered substance use disorder treatment program in Vermont.Fiore, who had been living in South Burlington, was sentenced in 2022 to 27 years in prison for his role in an overseas murder-for-hire plot in which a man was tortured on video and for producing child sex abuse images.Kerest also pointed to the work his office has done on civil matters, including resolving a case against a defense contractor. In that case, Revision Military, which is based in Essex Junction, agreed to pay the federal government $426,000 to settle allegations it sold the U.S. military protective eyewear with components sourced from outside the country — a violation of defense procurement policy.Kerest, when he took the U.S attorney post, replaced Christina Nolan, who stepped down in February 2021, as the presidential administration changed from Trump to Biden. Before that, Kerest served as an assistant U.S. attorney in both the criminal and civil divisions for 11 years. In the press release Monday Kerest said that he “has not yet determined his future professional plans.”Read the story on VTDigger here: US Attorney for Vermont Nikolas Kerest announces resignation ahead of Donald Trump presidency.