Ex-New York prosecutor accused in bribery case dies by suicide during FBI raid

A retired judge and former New York prosecutor allegedly shot himself on Tuesday while FBI agents stormed his home in an attempt to arrest him in connection with a federal corruption prosecution. On Monday, a U.S. federal judge in New York indicted Stewart Rosenwasser on accusations that he accepted bribes to launch a criminal investigation while serving as the district attorney for Orange County. Rosenwasser may have been shot by agents, but according to other accounts, he committed himself when the FBI showed up at his rural Orange County house on Tuesday to make an arrest.

In accordance with bureau procedure, the FBI’s Inspection Division was “reviewing an agent-involved shooting,” the agency’s statement to USA TODAY stated. The statement read, “We have no further details to provide as this is an ongoing matter.” According to numerous media outlets that claimed law enforcement sources familiar with the case, the FBI traveled early on Tuesday morning to Rosenwasser’s house in the rural village of Campbell Hall to take him into custody.

According to two people familiar with the situation, Rosenwasser aimed a gun at the agents, and at least one of them fired a shot, as reported by NBC New York. Subsequently, sources told ABC News and CBS News New York that Rosenwasser had locked himself in his house and may have committed suicide. According to reports, Rosenwasser, a retired New York judge, left his position as chief counsel and executive assistant district attorney of Orange County’s district attorney’s office in June.

A federal indictment accused Rosenwasser of taking at least $63,000 in bribe payments in order to exploit his position as the district attorney’s office investigator to look into two cases. The federal complaint claims that Rosenwasser received the request from a wealthy former restaurant owner who also wanted updates on the probe. According to the indictment, he is accused of accepting the bribes mostly in the form of checks or money orders beginning in 2022.