Ex-New York Judge Stewart Rosenwasser Kills Himself After Armed Standoff With Cops Amid Corruption Investigation
An ex-New York judge and former prosecutor allegedly shot himself to death Tuesday morning. FBI agents were trying to arrest Stewart Rosenwasser on bribery and corruption charges. Rosenwasser opened fire when the agents pulled up in his driveway.
Rosenwasser has been embroiled in a sordid bribery scandal for over a year.
The FBI said in a statement that the agency is reviewing the incident. They also said the Inspection Division of the FBI is investigating the apparent suicide. This is typically the case in agent-involved shootings.
The exchange of gunfire came one day after a federal grand jury indicted Rosenwasser. Prosecutors allege Rosenwasser took $63,000 in payoffs to rig a case on behalf of an old pal.
The Damning Indictment
The 43-page indictment states Rosenwasser conspired with millionaire businessman Mout’z Soudani to build a case against Soudani’s sister and nephew.
Federal prosecutors said the two later tried to hide their illicit texts and emails.
Prosecutors say the plot targeted Martin Soudani and his mother. Mout’z Soudani claimed two embezzling $1.6 million from him.
On March 8, 2023, Rosenwasser, now an Orange County assistant district attorney, charged Soudani’s kin with grand larceny for allegedly stealing the money from Mout’z Soudani. He also had the court issue arrest warrants.
Defense lawyers motioned the court to have Rosenwasser recuse himself from prosecuting the case. They claimed Rosenwasser had represented Mout’z Soudani in the 1990s. Thus, his current involvement presented a conflict of interest.
Rosenwasser denied the claim and remained on the case.
The indictment also says the DA’s office replaced Rosewasser on the case in June 2023 after they realized what he was up to.
The Orange County DA dropped the case against Soudani’s sister had been dropped in March 2024. However, his nephew agreed to plead guilty to grand larceny in the embezzlement case. Prosecutors agreed to plea deal for prison sentence of one to seven years.
This Case Represents The Most Blatant Example Of Prosecutorial Corruption In New York History
Meanwhile, Rosenwasser resigned from the DAs office earlier this year as the investigation intensified — ending with this week’s indictment.
In an email to The Post on Tuesday, Rosenwasser’s son, Jason, asked for privacy for the family but cast doubt on reports that his dad committed 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.
The scandal, which saw the feds raid his home in July, forced him to resign from the DA’s Office.
The federal indictment, which names Rosenwasser and Mout’z Soudani, charges the two men with conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and honest services wire fraud, according to the Times-Union.
Rosenwasser had barricaded himself at his home on Route 416 when he began firing at the FBI and yelling, “YOU’LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE, COPPERS!.”
FBI requested a SWAT team from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Rosenwasser was later found dead.
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