ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - St. Louis County Executive Sam Page has selected former federal prosecutor Cort VanOstran to be the next St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney once Wesley Bell leaves office.
"Cort VanOstran is a proven public servant. As a federal prosecutor, he’s worked to protect victims of crime. As an attorney, he’s represented everyday Missourians and stood up to powerful corporate interests," said Dr. Page. "As the next St. Louis County “As the next St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney, he will work every day to keep our community safe.”
VanOstran, a Democrat, previously served as a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Missouri. As an Assistant United States Attorney, he prosecuted fraud, embezzlement, identity theft, conspiracy, drug distribution and firearms offenses.
St. Louis County says VanOstran resigned from his position as a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Missouri to become St. Louis County’s top law enforcement official.
In addition to his work in the courtroom, VanOstran has taught students at Washington University School of Law since 2016.
Before becoming a prosecutor, VanOstran spent years in private practice with the St. Louis law firm Gray Ritter Graham, where he frequently represented Missourians taking on corporate interests.
VanOstran earned his law degree with honors from Washington University in St. Louis. He was born and raised in Missouri and attended Harvard University on scholarship before moving to St. Louis over a decade ago.
VanOstran also briefly juggled with a career in politics, becoming the Democratic nominee in 2018 for United States Congress in Missouri’s then-Second District, but he would lose to incumbent Ann Wagner by a four-point margin, with Wagner receiving 51.2% compared to VanOstran's 47.1%.
St. Louis County says VanOstran will fill the unexpired term of Bell, who was elected to the United States Congress in November, but VanOstran's appointment is still far from certain, as last week, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican, sued St. Louis County over who has the authority to appoint their next prosecuting attorney.
Bell, who will be sworn into Congress on Jan. 3, previously spoke to KMOX about how he would've preferred his successor be someone who was a part of his leadership team.
"From the day I've walked into this office as St. Louis County Prosecutor, I started preparing my leadership team as well as the newest attorney to step into leadership roles," said Bell. "There are several folks who are on my leadership team that I think and I know will do a very good job."
The appointment of VanOstran would sway from Bell's preference, with VanOstran being a former federal prosecutor.
Bell, who says his last day in office will be on Jan. 2, released a statement on Page naming VanOstran as his successor, saying he met with VanOstran Tuesday and told Bell "he was a fan of this office, likes what we are doing and believes his first step as a leader will be to emphasize listening and also learning from our talented and experienced staff."
"(Tuesday) I also met with our staff and advised them of that conversation. I advised them if Cort is the next prosecuting attorney, to give him a fair chance and I think it will pay off for them individually, but more importantly for the office as a whole," said Bell in a statement. "I also told them that they are not going to lose me after I am sworn in as a member of Congress - but they will gain an advocate for this office and, ultimately, an advocate for public safety in the St. Louis region as a whole."
St. Louis County says VanOstran will be one of the highest profile openly LGBTQ chief prosecutors in the country should he become St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney.