A former Prosecutor and retired Judge, Stewart Rosenwasser, 72, took his own life on Tuesday as FBI agents arrived at his home in Campbell Hall, New York, to arrest him.
He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound during the raid, which was part of an investigation into a corruption case involving alleged bribery.
Law enforcement sources indicated that there was an exchange of gunfire between Rosenwasser and the FBI agents.
The FBI released a statement noting that they are reviewing the shooting incident, which is standard protocol for agent-involved shootings.
Rosenwasser was reportedly facing an imminent lawsuit concerning $48,000 in bribes he allegedly accepted from Mout’z “Marty” Soudani, whose nephew, Martin Soudani, had been jailed for stealing $1.9 million from him.
Federal investigators allege that Rosenwasser had been paid to pursue legal action against Soudani’s family, leading to further questions about the integrity of cases he oversaw during his tenure as an assistant district attorney.
Just hours after Rosenwasser’s death, a federal indictment was unsealed, charging him with conspiracy to commit bribery and honest services wire fraud, alleging he accepted a total of $63,000 in bribes.
He was also charged with extortion and making false statements to the FBI following an interview in June.
Shortly after this interview, Rosenwasser resigned from his position at the District Attorney’s Office.
Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler expressed his condolences, stating it was “truly heartbreaking” that events unfolded in such a manner. Rosenwasser had served as a judge for seven years and was recognized as “Arson Prosecutor of the Year” in November 2023.
Following recent developments, there will be a review of the integrity of the award. (vitalnewsngr.com)
