Stewart Rosenwasser, a former prosecutor and retired New York judge, died by suicide on Tuesday after FBI agents arrived at his home in Campbell Hall to arrest him in connection with a federal bribery scheme.
Rosenwasser, 72, allegedly fired at the agents before turning the gun on himself, according to authorities.
The federal charges against him were extensive, including extortion, conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, honest services wire fraud, and making false statements to the FBI.
The bribery allegations against Rosenwasser stem from his time at the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, where federal prosecutors accused him of accepting $63,000 in bribes.
His involvement in a case dating back to October 2022 was at the center of the federal investigation.
According to the indictment unsealed after his death, the case involved a man named Moutz “Marty” Soudani, who sued his family for allegedly stealing money from him.
Soudani accused his sister, Eman, and his nephew, Martin, of taking $1.9 million. The case led to Martin pleading guilty to stealing $1.6 million, resulting in two months in jail.
The charges against Eman were dropped. Federal investigators claimed that Soudani paid Rosenwasser $15,000 to pursue the case against his own family, and further payments totaling $63,000 were reportedly made to ensure the case was prosecuted.
In text messages cited in the indictment, Rosenwasser assured Soudani that his involvement would produce favorable results.
After Martin and Eman’s arrests, Rosenwasser instructed Soudani that they could no longer communicate via text and would have to rely on phone calls instead.
These communications were critical evidence in the bribery investigation, which aimed to prove that Rosenwasser manipulated the legal process for financial gain.
Following Rosenwasser’s death, the FBI issued a statement acknowledging the incident, saying, “The FBI is reviewing an agent-involved shooting that occurred earlier this morning in Campbell Hall, NY. The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents seriously.”
The agency also noted that the incident was under review by its Inspection Division, per standard protocol, and provided no further details due to the ongoing nature of the investigation.
Rosenwasser’s legal troubles began in June when he was first interviewed by the FBI regarding his involvement in the bribery case.
Just three days after that interview, he resigned from his position as a prosecutor in the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Before his work as a prosecutor, Rosenwasser had served as an acting New York State Supreme Court Justice and as a county court judge, a career that appeared to be unraveling with the federal investigation.
In the wake of these developments, Martin’s attorney is seeking post-conviction relief, challenging the legitimacy of the conviction and requesting that the judgment be vacated.
Additionally, there are plans to file a $22.5 million lawsuit against Rosenwasser, Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler, the Chief Assistant DA, and the DA’s office for what is being described as malicious prosecution.
Rosenwasser’s sudden death leaves many questions unanswered, but the ongoing legal battles suggest that the case will continue to unfold in court, with significant implications for the parties involved.
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