A retired judge from upstate New York and former prosecutor reportedly shot himself to death during a shootout with FBI agents on Tuesday morning as the agents tried to arrest him on bribery and corruption charges, according to sources. Stewart Rosenwasser, 72, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound during a federal raid at his $430,000 home in Campbell Hall.
The disgraced judge had been caught up in a federal bribery scandal linked to a case he had previously handled while serving as a public prosecutor. The FBI said in a statement that its the Inspection Division has launched an investigation, as is the standard protocol in all shootings involving agents.
Disgraced Judge Kills Self
When authorities showed up at his home to arrest him on Tuesday morning, Rosenwasser allegedly fired at federal agents before turning the gun on himself. Federal prosecutors accuse Rosenwasser of taking $63,000 in bribes during his time at the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
According to the 43-page indictment, Rosenwasser and millionaire businessman Mout'z Soudani plotted to build a case against Soudani's sister and nephew to recover the allegedly stolen money.
According to the indictment, Soudani, who was also charged, sent Rosenwasser a text on November 18, 2022, saying, "Any progress? I am anxious."
"Waiting to talk to investigator," the prosecutor allegedly replied. "Should know something today.
"Believe me. I'm putting maximum effort into this," he added, according to the document. "We will utilize all available assets."
Federal prosecutors said that the two later tried to conceal their illegal communications, with Rosenwasser allegedly texting his associate on January 23, 2023, saying, " We must stop creating test [sic] messages. Period."
The scheme targeted Martin Soudani and his mother, Eman Soudani, who were reportedly involved in embezzling $1.6 million from Mout'z Soudani, a wealthy former restaurant owner, according to the indictment.
On March 8, 2023, Rosenwasser, in his role as an assistant district attorney in Orange County, charged Soudani's relatives with grand larceny for allegedly stealing the funds from Mout'z Soudani and had arrest warrants issued for them.
Dirty Money Game
When they appeared in court, defense attorneys requested that Rosenwasser withdraw from prosecuting the case due to his previous representation of Mout'z Soudani in the 1990s, which created a conflict of interest.
Rosenwasser denied this claim and continued with the case.
However, by June 2023, the District Attorney's office became aware of the situation, and Rosenwasser was removed from the case, according to the indictment.
By March 2024, the charges against Soudani's sister had been dropped, and his nephew agreed to plead guilty to grand larceny in the embezzlement case, accepting a prison sentence of one to seven years in return.
Martin Soudani and Eman Soudani subsequently filed a $22.5 million lawsuit, claiming that the charges against them were compromised.
In court documents related to the lawsuit reviewed by the Times-Union, the alleged bribery scheme was described as ""may present the most blatant example of prosecutorial corruption and fraud in the annals of New York case law."
Meanwhile, Rosenwasser resigned from the District Attorney's office earlier this year as the investigation intensified, culminating in this week's indictment.
The federal indictment names both Rosenwasser and Mout'z Soudani, charging them with conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, and honest services wire fraud, as reported by the Times-Union.
When FBI agents arrived at Rosenwasser's home on Route 416, they found him barricaded inside, and shots were fired, prompting them to request a SWAT team from the Orange County Sheriff's Office. Rosenwasser was later found dead.
