South African national charged with unlawfully obtaining U.S. citizenship

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment charging a South African national with unlawfully procuring naturalization in the U.S.

According to court documents, between June and September 2019, Brian Smith, 52, applied for and obtained naturalization in the U.S. by making false statements in connection to his naturalization application.

Smith allegedly falsely responded to questions asking whether he had been involved in killing, badly hurting or sexually assaulting someone and if he had ever committed, assisted in committing or attempted to commit a crime he was not arrested for. Smith answered "No" to all these questions, when at the time of the application, he had committed related crimes, including two murders that involved torture and sexual assaults. Smith was convicted of these crimes in February 2024 in the Superior Court for the State of Alaska.

Smith is charged with one count of unlawful procurement of naturalization in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1425(a) and one count of unlawful procurement of naturalization by an ineligible person in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1425(b). The defendant will make his initial court appearance on a later date before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, he faces the revocation of his certificate of naturalization.

U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska and Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in the Pacific Northwest Region, made the announcement.

HSI Pacific Northwest Region is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Cody Tirpak is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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