Kuester Takes Office as U.S. Attorney

Brian J. Kuester took the oath of office on Monday to become the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

Kuester was nominated by President Donald Trump on July 19 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Sept. 14. He took the oath of office from Chief U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Oklahoma Ronald A. White.

“The challenges faced by federal, state, and local law enforcement officials have never been tougher. I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to work through these challenging times with the dedicated professionals in the United States Attorney’s Office as we work alongside the agencies in the Eastern District of Oklahoma that work to protect the public and uphold the United States Constitution,” Kuester said.

As U.S. Attorney, Kuester is the top-ranking federal law enforcement official in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. The district serves 26 counties from Adair to McCurtain County on the East and Wagoner to Love County on the West. He oversees a staff of 35 employees, including 13 attorneys and 22 non-attorney support personnel. The office is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the district, including crimes related to terrorism, public corruption, child exploitation, firearms, and narcotics. The office also defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States.

Kuester served as the district attorney for Oklahoma’s 27th Prosecutorial District immediately preceding his appointment as U.S. attorney. He was elected in November 2010 and re-elected in 2014. District 27 is comprised of Adair, Cherokee, Sequoyah, and Wagoner Counties and has a staff of 50. Prior to becoming DA, Kuester worked as staff counsel for Allstate Insurance Company from 2008 to 2010. From 2003 to 2008, Kuester was an assistant district attorney for the Tulsa County district attorney. While there, he prosecuted a broad variety of cases including murder, robbery, burglary, drug trafficking, and child abuse. He also served as the Director of Crimes Against Children in 2007 and 2008. From 2000 to 2003, he was an associate attorney for Robinett Osmond, a Tulsa civil litigation firm. He received his law degree from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 2000. He has been a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association since September2000 and is admitted to practice in the Federal Districts for the Eastern and Northern Districts of Oklahoma.

Kuester told the media that his first assistant, Jack Thorp, will assume District 27 district attorney duties until Gov. Mary Fallin appoints someone to the office.

Prior to attending law school, Kuester, a native of Missouri, was a police officer, serving the Fulton and Springfield, Mo., police departments for nearly seven years combined. He received a B.S. in Criminal Justice Administration in 1990 from Central Missouri State University. Kuester resides in Wagoner County with Laura, his wife of 22 years, and three children.

Sally Maxwell, Senior News Director

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