JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri’s incoming Attorney General Eric Schmitt has tapped a former assistant United States Attorney to lead the criminal litigation division in the office.
On Thursday, Schmitt announced that Cristian Stevens will serve as Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Litigation. That position puts him in charge of the office’s criminal divisions, which include Medicaid fraud, appeals cases, and public safety.
Stevens will be replacing Darrell Moore, who held the position under Attorney General Josh Hawley’s leadership.
As an assistant U.S. attorney, Stevens prosecuted violent crimes, including homicides, as well as narcotics, white-collar and civil rights violations, from the earliest stages of investigation through appeal. Currently, Stevens is a partner at Armstrong Teasdale.
“Cris is a respected litigator who has a great deal of experience in prosecuting crimes such as homicides and leading high-profile investigations,” said Schmitt. “With his wealth of trial and appellate knowledge, I am grateful that Cris decided to join the office.”
In 2014, Stevens spearheaded the federal investigation of the high-profile officer-involved shooting in Ferguson, Missouri. The investigation’s report has become the definitive account of the shooting. For his work, Stevens received the U.S. Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service in 2015.
Stevens began his legal career as a law clerk for Chief Judge Pasco M. Bowman II of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Stevens earned his law degree from the University of Missouri in Columbia and served as the editor-in-chief of the Missouri Law Review. Stevens, and his wife Leigh, have 2 sons and foster a daughter.
Alisha Shurr was a reporter for The Missouri Times and The Missouri Times Magazine. She joined The Missouri Times in January 2018 after working as a copy editor for her hometown newspaper in Southern Oregon. Alisha is a graduate of Kansas State University.
