St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page has announced that Cort VanOstran will replace St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, and he has the future congressman’s full support.
VanOstran will fill Bell’s unexpired term after his election to the United States Congress in November. Bell will be sworn in Jan. 3, 2025, and plans to remain on the job for St. Louis County until Jan. 2.
Bell said that VanOstran “is a fan of this office [and] likes what we are doing.”
“He believes his first step as a leader will be to emphasize listening and also learning from our talented and experienced staff.”
VanOstran has resigned as an assistant U.S. States Attorney in the Eastern District of Missouri, where he prosecuted fraud, embezzlement, identity theft, conspiracy, drug distribution and firearms offenses.
“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 Page.
“As the next St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney, he will work every day to keep our community safe.”
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, with outgoing Gov. Mike Parson’s approval, is suing Page, contending that it is Parson who should select the St. Louis County prosecutor.
Parson selected Gabe Gore to replace Kim Gardner after her resignation, but Page contends the state constitution leaves that responsibility in his hands, not the governor’s.
Bell said he met with his staff and advised them if VanOstran is the next prosecuting attorney, “give him a fair chance and I think it will pay off for them individually, but more importantly for the office as a whole.”
Before becoming a prosecutor, VanOstran was in private practice with the St. Louis law firm Gray Ritter Graham, where he frequently represented Missourians taking on corporate interests.
According to a County release, he was part of a team that represented American farmers in their suit against a foreign-owned biotechnology firm, litigation that ultimately resulted in the largest agricultural legal settlement in U.S. history.
He is a former law clerk to United States District Judge John Ross and United States District Judge Audrey Fleissig, who were both appointed by President Barack Obama.
In 2018, VanOstran was the Democratic nominee for United States Congress in Missouri’s then-Second District, which was comprised primarily of west and south St. Louis County. Longtime Congresswoman Ann Wagner prevailed in the race.
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.
As for Bell’s imminent departure for Washington, D.C., he told his staff “they are not going to lose me after I am sworn in as a member of Congress.”
“They will gain an advocate for this office and, ultimately, an advocate for public safety in the St. Louis region as a whole.”