Retired US Judge Dies By Suicide Amid FBI Arrest Attempt Over Corruption Charges
A retired New York judge, Stewart Rosenwasser, died by an apparent suicide on Tuesday, September 24, during a confrontation with FBI agents who had arrived at his Orange County home to arrest him on bribery and corruption charges.
According to law enforcement sources, the former judge and prosecutor allegedly opened fire on the agents as they approached his Campbell Hall residence around 9:30 a.m. The FBI later confirmed the incident, stating that an internal investigation by their Inspection Division is underway, as is standard in cases involving agent-involved shootings.
The incident unfolded just a day after a federal grand jury indicted Rosenwasser for allegedly accepting €58,673 in bribes to manipulate a legal case. Rosenwasser was accused of conspiring with millionaire businessman Mout’z Soudani to frame Soudani’s relatives for embezzling €1.49 million from him.
The indictment detailed how Rosenwasser, while serving as an Orange County assistant district attorney, had pressed charges of grand larceny against Soudani’s sister and nephew in March 2023, following the alleged embezzlement. However, the case was later dismissed in June 2023, when suspicions arose regarding Rosenwasser’s involvement. The indictment also revealed that the former judge attempted to conceal his illicit communications with Soudani, including instructing him to stop texting about their illegal dealings.
In July 2024, the FBI raided Rosenwasser’s home, and by this week, the federal indictment charged both Rosenwasser and Soudani with conspiracy to commit bribery and wire fraud.
During Tuesday’s standoff, FBI agents reported that Rosenwasser had barricaded himself inside his home and fired shots, prompting a request for a SWAT team from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Shortly after, he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Rosenwasser’s son, Jason, has since asked for privacy but raised doubts about the circumstances of his father’s death. In an email to The New York Post, he questioned reports that his father had taken his own life, pointing out that the FBI had described the situation as an “agent-involved shooting.”
The scandal, which forced Rosenwasser to resign from his position at the district attorney’s office earlier this year, has sent shockwaves through the legal community. The case, described in court documents as “one of the most blatant examples of prosecutorial corruption” in New York history, has sparked a lawsuit seeking €20.95 million in damages from Rosenwasser and Soudani.
The FBI investigation into the events surrounding Rosenwasser’s death and the broader corruption case continues.
