Former Judge Stewart Rosenwasser shot and killed himself on Tuesday in Campbell Hall, near Middletown, New York, shortly after federal authorities arrived with an arrest warrant for alleged bribery, extortion, and additional charges.
According to the Times Union, Rosenwasser, 72, was involved in a shootout with FBI agents before he took his own life. The agents had arrived to charge Rosenwasser for his involvement in a bribery scheme.
Just hours after his death , the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York revealed an indictment against Rosenwasser. Prosecutors allege that Rosenwasser accepted a total of $63,000 from a Mout'z 'Marty' Soudani, who allegedly compensated Rosenwasser to prosecute his family members.
Rosenwasser was facing an imminent lawsuit after allegedly taking the bribes to investigate and prosecute two relatives of Soudani who were involved in a $1.9 million embezzlement case last October.
Last year, Mout'z accused both his sister, Eman, and his nephew of embezzling funds from him. While the charges against Eman were eventually dismissed, her son Martin admitted to stealing $1.6 million from Soudani, resulting in a two-month jail sentence.
The defense team for Martin, the nephew, seeks to overturn his conviction and have the judgment vacated amid the allegations that the judge was bribed.
Both Rosenwasser and Soudani were charged with conspiracy to commit bribery , conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, and honest services wire fraud. Originally, the case papers said Rosenwasser accepted $48,000, but that number was increased after an investigation, resulting in the FBI showing up to his home to hand down the newest charges.
In a statement, the FBI said: "The FBI is reviewing an agent-involved shooting that occurred earlier this morning in Campbell Hall, NY. The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents seriously. In accordance with FBI policy, the shooting incident is under review by the FBI's Inspection Division. As this is an ongoing matter, we have no further details to provide."
Rosenwasser was also charged with extortion and making false statements to the FBI after he was interviewed in June. Three days after his interview he abruptly quit his job at the District Attorney's Office where he had worked for five years.
According to his biography, Rosenwasser served as a judge for the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct before leading the Orange County District Attorney's Office's "Conviction Integrity Unit."
As recently as November 2023, Rosenwasser received the title of "Arson Prosecutor of the Year."
If in the United States, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to http://SuicidePreventionLifeline.org
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