On the morning of September 24, former New York judge and prosecutor Stewart Rosenwasser allegedly shot himself during a standoff with FBI agents who were attempting to arrest him on bribery and corruption charges. The incident occurred at his home in Orange County, New York, around 9:30 a.m., following a federal indictment related to a bribery scandal.
According to law enforcement sources, Rosenwasser opened fire on the FBI agents as they approached his residence. In response, shots were exchanged before he apparently took his own life. The FBI has confirmed that the incident is under investigation by its Inspection Division, as is standard in cases involving agent-involved shootings.
Rosenwasser had recently been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly accepting $63,000 in bribes to manipulate a case in favor of Mout’z Soudani, a millionaire businessman. The indictment claimed that Rosenwasser helped Soudani pursue legal action against his sister and nephew, who were accused of embezzling $1.6 million from him. Rosenwasser and Soudani were both charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and wire fraud.
Court documents revealed that Rosenwasser had attempted to cover up his involvement, advising Soudani to stop communicating via text messages to avoid leaving a trail of evidence. Despite efforts to maintain control of the case, Rosenwasser was eventually replaced, and the case against Soudani's family members unraveled. By March 2024, the charges against Soudani’s sister were dropped, and his nephew pleaded guilty to grand larceny.
In a statement to The New York Post, Rosenwasser's son, Jason, questioned reports that his father had committed suicide, pointing to conflicting details from the FBI's account, which described the event as an agent-involved shooting.
The scandal surrounding Rosenwasser's alleged bribery and corruption came to light following an FBI raid at his home in July. The federal indictment accused both Rosenwasser and Soudani of multiple charges, including bribery and wire fraud. Rosenwasser had resigned from his position in the district attorney's office earlier this year as the investigation intensified, culminating in his indictment and eventual death.
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