An ex-judge reportedly fatally shot himself following an exchange of gunfire with FBI agents who were attempting to take him into custody at his New York home.
Former Orange County Judge Stewart Rosenwasser, who also previously served as Orange County executive assistant district attorney, was allegedly under federal investigation for tax evasion and bribery. FBI agents arrived at his residence on Route 416 in Campbell Hall on Tuesday to take him into custody for his alleged crimes when shots were fired from inside the residents, prompting an exchange of gunfire between the agents and Rosenwasser.
Upon entering his home, FBI agents discovered that the ex-judge had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In a statement about the incident, the FBI confirmed that they were investigating the incident, noting that the agency “is reviewing an agent-involved shooting that occurred earlier this morning in Campbell Hall. 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 was reported by local news station News 12 last week, Rosenwasser was being investigated for tax evasion and was also being sued for $22.5 million after allegedly taking approximately $63,000 in bribes to prosecute a cryptocurrency case in 2023 as part of a dispute that involved members of a family connected to an unsolved murder in the 1970s.
🚨🇺🇸RETIRED JUDGE DIES BY SUICIDE AS FBI ARRIVES TO ARREST HIM
Retired Orange County Judge Stewart Rosenwasser fatally shot himself as FBI agents arrived at his New York home to arrest him in a corruption investigation.
Rosenwasser had been under scrutiny for allegedly… pic.twitter.com/KFKVFhq6E3
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) September 24, 2024
Rosenwasser’s legal career spanned several decades, beginning as a private attorney, then transitioning to an Orange County assistant district attorney in the 1970s. He then worked as an Orange County Court judge and acting state Supreme Court justice for six years before being rehired by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office in 2019 to serve as special counsel for policy research as part of an effort to aid with discovery reform.
He suddenly resigned from his position in June 2023, claiming that he was simply deciding to “retire from the practice of law.”
🇺🇸FORMER JUDGE KILLS HIMSELF DURING FBI ARREST ATTEMPT IN NY CORRUPTION CASE
Stewart Rosenwasser, a former prosecutor and retired judge in Orange County, NY, died by suicide Tuesday as FBI agents arrived at his home to arrest him in a corruption case.
Rosenwasser was under… pic.twitter.com/sglY0NxvcC
— AN-94 Reports (@an94reports) September 24, 2024
Following a lengthy investigation, legal papers related to the cryptocurrency civil matter and related to the tax evasion charges were filed last week. According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Rosenwasser’s other cases as a prosecutor have been reviewed and nothing improper was found.
