A 54-year-old U.S. citizen, Ganet Rozario from the Bronx, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in New York on Thursday. He was convicted of murdering Michael Rozario, another U.S. national, in Bangladesh in June 2021. According to reports, the man was Ganet's uncle, whom he killed over a property dispute. Both men are naturalized U.S. citizens who originally hailed from Bangladesh.
According to an official press release published on the official website of the Department of Justice, Ganet Rozario previously pleaded guilty to a charge involving the murder of a U.S. citizen in a foreign country. The court records and statements read in the court suggest that Rozario used a shotgun to kill his uncle.
The altercation occurred in 2021 during their visit to Bangladesh, over a years-long property dispute involving the family home in Munshiganji. At the time, the duo was living in the same residence. On the evening of June 11, 2021, Ganet stepped outside close to his uncle's bedroom window to smoke a cigarette. That is when he allegedly overheard his uncle insulting him from inside the house.
His uncle's remarks left Ganet enraged; he went back inside to get the shotgun and returned to the outdoors. He threatened his uncle before firing shots at him, announcing, "You will not see the sun tomorrow."
The 54-year-old discharged a single fire through a covered window shutter, and Michael Rozario was struck in the abdomen area and right stomach, leaving him dead from the injuries. Later in July 2023, Ganet returned to the U.S. and was formally charged in April 2024 over his uncle's killing.
An official confirmation of the same was given by Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation field offices in Los Angeles and New York City.
Acting Deputy Chief Frank Rangoussis of the Criminal Division's Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section is also handling the prosecution. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik for the Southern District of New York is involved as well.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Legal Attaché office in Dhaka and the United States Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs reportedly also supported the investigation. Officials also acknowledged the government of Bangladesh's cooperation.
In other news, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20, 2025, limiting birthright citizenship. However, according to the BBC, the Supreme Court remains skeptical of the president’s decision that could nullify an important aspect of his immigration agenda. In fact, a majority of the court wasn’t convinced of the idea of the U.S. terminating citizenship to children of undocumented immigrants and some temporary visitors.
The administration has argued that limiting birthright citizenship is needed to curb unlawful immigration. Critics say the move would overturn more than 100 years of legal precedent and weaken a key part of U.S. immigration policy. Trump personally attended oral arguments in April 2026, an uncommon step for a sitting president that highlighted the significance of the case.