Prosecutor in Botched Stevens Case Commits Suicide

A Justice Department prosecutor being investigated for prosecutorial misconduct in the trial against Sen. Ted Stevens was committed suicide over the weekend, his lawyer said Monday.

Nicholas A. Marsh was reportedly facing criminal contempt charges for his role in trial of the late Alaska senator who died in a plane crash in August. Marsh, 37, was married but had no children.

"Our deepest sympathies go out to Nick's family and friends on this sad.day. The Department of Justice is a community, and today our community is mourning the loss of this dedicated young attorney," Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer said in a statement to Fox News.

Though the reason for Marsh's suicide is not publicly known, the case against Stevens was dismissed in August 2009 and District Judge Emmett Sullivan called for special investigator Henry Schuelke III to look into whether Marsh was involved in pressuring an FBI agent to change his notes from an interview with a government witness.

MainJustice.com reported that Marsh was moved last year from the Public Integrity Section of the Justice Department to Office of International Affairs, where he worked on the unsuccessful effort to extradite Roman Polanski.

Sullivan's office released a statement to the Anchorage Daily News.

"Judge Sullivan and his staff were extremely saddened and shocked to hear the tragic news of Mr. Marsh's death. Their heartfelt thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time," the note read.