A retired New York judge and former prosecutor reportedly shot himself Tuesday morning, September 24, during a confrontation with FBI agents who were attempting to arrest him on bribery and corruption charges.
Stewart Rosenwasser, who has been implicated in a federal bribery scandal, allegedly opened fire as agents approached his Orange County residence, leading to his death by apparent suicide shortly after 9:30 a.m., according to law enforcement sources.
The FBI stated that the incident at Rosenwasser’s home in Campbell Hall is under review by the Inspection Division, which typically handles agent-involved shootings.
“As this is an ongoing matter, we have no further details to provide,” the FBI noted.
The gunfire exchange occurred just one day after a federal grand jury indicted Rosenwasser for allegedly accepting $63,000 in bribes to manipulate a case for a friend who claimed to have been embezzled by family members.
The 43-page indictment details how Rosenwasser conspired with millionaire businessman Mout’z Soudani to build a case against Soudani’s sister and nephew in an effort to recover the allegedly stolen money.
On November 18, 2022, Soudani texted Rosenwasser: “Any progress I am anxious thanks.” The prosecutor allegedly responded, “Waiting to talk to investigator… Should know something today,” assuring Soudani he was putting in maximum effort and would use all available resources.
Federal prosecutors indicated that the two attempted to conceal their illicit communications, with Rosenwasser texting Soudani on January 23, 2023, “We must stop creating test messages. Period.”
The plot targeted Martin and Eman Soudani, who were accused of embezzling $1.6 million from Mout’z Soudani. On March 8, 2023, while serving as an Orange County assistant district attorney, Rosenwasser charged the Soudanis with grand larceny and issued arrest warrants.
When the Soudanis appeared in court, their defense lawyers requested Rosenwasser recuse himself due to a conflict of interest, as he had represented Mout’z Soudani in the past. Rosenwasser denied the claim and continued in the case, but by June 2023, he was replaced. By March 2024, charges against Soudani’s sister were dropped, and his nephew pleaded guilty to grand larceny, resulting in a one-to-seven-year prison sentence.
The Soudanis later filed a $22.5 million lawsuit alleging prosecutorial misconduct. According to court documents, the alleged bribery scheme was described as a significant example of corruption within the New York legal system.
Rosenwasser resigned from the DA’s office earlier this year as investigations intensified, culminating in the indictment this week.
In an email to The Post on Tuesday, Rosenwasser’s son, Jason, requested privacy for the family and expressed skepticism about reports of his father’s suicide.
“The only thing I feel compelled to point out is that the local news headlines are reporting that my father fatally shot himself while also reporting in the same article that the FBI field office issued a statement calling it an agent-involved shooting,” he wrote.
