On Monday, September 16, 2024, Mid Hudson News reported that retired Orange County judge and former prosecutor Stewart Rosenwasser is at the center of two $7.5 million claims filed against the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. The claims allege severe misconduct, describing the actions as “the most blatant example of prosecutorial corruption and fraud in the annals of New York case law.”
The notices of claim, which were filed in Orange County Court, were initiated on behalf of Martin Soudani and Eman Soudani. According to the claims, Rosenwasser is accused of accepting bribes totaling at least $48,100 to investigate and prosecute the Soudanis. Sources indicate that several checks received by Rosenwasser were labeled as “loans.”
Rosenwasser resigned abruptly in June, shortly after law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence as part of an ongoing investigation related to the Soudani case.
The claims also name Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler and Chief Assistant District Attorney Chris Borek as defendants.
Arthur Middlemiss, the attorney representing Martin and Eman Soudani, stated that their legal team is seeking justice for their clients but declined to elaborate further on the matter.
The documents reveal that Moutz “Marty” Soudani, the uncle of Martin Soudani, allegedly paid Rosenwasser bribes and sided with him during a family dispute. The claims assert that Rosenwasser acted against the claimant, minimizing allegations of incestuous sexual abuse, disregarding evidence of Soudani’s ongoing criminal activities, and concealing the bribes that undermined Soudani’s credibility. The claims also mention Rosenwasser’s failure to acknowledge the destruction of evidence by Soudani.
Evidence of the purported agreement between Rosenwasser and Moutz Soudani is said to be documented through checks and text messages. Allegedly, Soudani communicated intentions to make Rosenwasser “extremely more than happy,” to which Rosenwasser responded that he would “always protect” and “help” Soudani.
In Eman Soudani’s claim, it is alleged that before Rosenwasser’s grand jury presentation seeking charges, Moutz Soudani confirmed through text messages that he had destroyed incriminating evidence on his phone. Despite being notified of a potential conflict of interest, Rosenwasser remained involved in the case.
Rosenwasser previously represented a client identified as Marty Soudani while in private practice. The Soudanis’ legal representation is also involved in a separate civil action under the Sexual Survivors Act. During the discovery phase of this case, the attorneys uncovered evidence of the checks cashed by Rosenwasser.
The claims assert that Eman Soudani was subjected to “horrific physical, emotional, and incestuous sexual abuse” by her brother, Marty Soudani, spanning from 1977 to 2022. The claim states that in 2022, Eman fled New York to Colorado to escape her alleged abuser.
In July 2023, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced that Martin Soudani had been arraigned on multiple charges, including grand larceny and money laundering. The indictment alleges that between December 19, 2017, and August 15, 2022, he embezzled over $1.6 million from a relative through a cryptocurrency scheme.
The claims filed by the Soudanis assert violations of their civil rights, including the right to a fair trial and due process. They allege malicious prosecution, false arrest, and false imprisonment, along with claims of abuse of process, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation, and various other legal grievances against the state.
District Attorney David Hoovler commented on the allegations against Rosenwasser, stating that if true, they would be reprehensible and a betrayal of the trust placed in him by the judiciary, colleagues, and the citizens of Orange County.
Source: Mid Hudson News
