United States Attorney for the Western District, Todd Graves, will step down from the Kansas City office in two weeks to go into private practice. Graves was appointed federal prosecutor in late 2001, months after losing the State Treasurer’s race to Democrat Nancy Farmer. He had served as Platte County prosecutor before that. Graves says he might also return to politics, though he says a political campaign takes a toll on a family. Graves helped in many Republican campaigns before winning election as Platte County prosecutor. He says he’s proud of how aggressive the office has been in prosecuting criminal cases as well as white collar crime, such as the conviction of Jackson County lobbyist Bill Waris for lying to FBI agents.
