Stewart Rosenwasser, a 72-year-old retired judge and former prosecutor, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound Tuesday as FBI agents arrived at his $430,000 home in Campbell Hall, New York, to arrest him on federal bribery charges.
The FBI confirmed an “agent-involved shooting” occurred during the morning raid but provided no further details, citing an ongoing review by the bureau’s Inspection Division.
According to an indictment unsealed hours after Rosenwasser’s death, he allegedly accepted $63,000 in bribes while working at the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. The charges stem from his involvement in a case concerning Mout’z “Marty” Soudani, whose nephew Martin Soudani was convicted last year of stealing $1.9 million from him.
Prosecutors allege Rosenwasser and Mout’z Soudani had a 40-year acquaintance, with Rosenwasser previously representing Soudani as a private attorney in the 1990s. The indictment claims Soudani paid Rosenwasser to prosecute his own family members, leading to the arrests of Martin Soudani and his mother, Eman, in Colorado.
Rosenwasser and Soudani were charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, and honest services wire fraud. Rosenwasser faced additional charges of extortion and making false statements to the FBI following a June interview.
The former judge abruptly resigned from the District Attorney’s Office three days after the FBI interview, ending his five-year tenure there. Rosenwasser had previously served as a county court judge and acting New York state Supreme Court Justice from 1999 to 2006.
Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler expressed condolences, stating, “It’s truly heartbreaking that it ended this way. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family.”
Rosenwasser was known as “Maximum Stew” for his tough stance on violent crime during his judicial career. In November 2023, he received the “Arson Prosecutor of the Year” award and had previously led the Orange County DA’s “Conviction Integrity Unit.”
The integrity of cases Rosenwasser oversaw as assistant DA will reportedly be reviewed following these revelations.
Rosenwasser’s son, Jason, a former Chief Trial Assistant District Attorney in Orange County, commented on the incident, noting discrepancies between local news reports of his father’s suicide and the FBI’s statement regarding an “agent-involved shooting.”
Daily MailOnline
