Retired New York Judge Stewart Rosenwasser killed himself inside his Orange County home after exchanging gunfire with FBI agents as they arrived to arrest him.
The former prosecutor in the Orange County District Attorney's Office is accused of taking bribes in a high-profile embezzlement case and has been under investigation by federal authorities, according to Times Union.
Agents arrived at Rosenwasser's home early Tuesday morning to execute an arrest warrant; however, they were met with immediate gunfire.
At 9:35 a.m., the FBI reported a barricaded subject and shots fired at the scene.
Agents allege four shots were fired, prompting the FBI to request a Special Operations Group SWAT team from the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
Rosenwasser reportedly then took his life.
"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," the FBI said in a statement.
The former judge resigned from the District Attorney's Office in June amid investigation and was also facing an imminent lawsuit involving $48,000 in bribes he allegedly took from Mout'z "Marty" Soudani, the victim in a $1.9 million theft and embezzlement case he prosecuted in 2022 and 2023.
In August, Soudani's mother and nephew Martin Soudani, filed claims against Rosenwasser, the Orange County DA's office, and others, seeking $22.5 million for alleged malicious prosecution, bribery, fraud, and rights violations, citing copies of checks and text messages as evidence.
Rosenwasser had a long legal career in the lower Hudson Valley, including decades in private practice, two years as an assistant DA in the 1970s, and six years as an Orange County judge and acting state Supreme Court justice.
— FBI New York (@NewYorkFBI) September 24, 2024
