Overview
- The Justice Department, which filed the case Friday in the Southern District of New York, says Hassan Sherjil Khan concealed sex crimes during his 2012–2013 naturalization and notes a judge has not yet ruled on the allegations.
- Prosecutors say Khan began grooming an 11-year-old online in 2007–2008, coerced explicit images and live video sex acts, and traveled to London in 2012 to have sexual contact when she was 15.
- After he became a citizen in 2013, the victim disclosed the abuse and Khan was arrested in 2015, pleaded guilty on Jan. 14, 2016 to coercion and enticement of a minor, and is serving a 17-year sentence.
- Denaturalization is a civil process that asks a court to void citizenship if it was obtained by fraud, so it does not add prison time but can strip the legal status gained through naturalization.
- The complaint cites lack of the required “good moral character” and willful concealment, aligning with DOJ guidance to prioritize denaturalization in defined crime categories that include sex offenses.