Justice Department Seeks to Denaturalize Sexual Predator Who Sexually Groomed and Assaulted Child Beginning When She Was Eleven
Friday, April 24, 2026 - Today, the Department of Justice announced that it has filed a denaturalization action in the Southern District of New York against Hassan Sherjil Khan, a native of Pakistan. Starting in 2007 or 2008, Khan began communicating online with an 11-year-old girl (the Victim). Until 2013, Khan, knowing that Victim was barely in her teens, continually coerced and enticed her to send him sexually explicit images of herself and to engage in sexually explicit conduct via live video chats. Khan also traveled abroad to engage in sexual acts with the Victim when she was only fifteen.
But when Khan applied for naturalization in August 2012 — just four months after he had traveled to have sexual contact with Victim — he concealed his involvement in his sex crimes. As a result, he was able to procure U.S. citizenship in May 2013. After Khan naturalized, the Victim disclosed his crimes, and he was arrested in September 2015 and charged with coercing and enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, sexual exploitation of a child, sexual exploitation of a child outside of the United States, and receipt of child pornography.
“Naturalization and U.S. citizenship will not protect sexual predators from the consequences of their horrific acts,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “If you fail to disclose serious crimes while seeking naturalization, the government will discover your lies and revoke your ill-gotten U.S. citizenship.”
At the time of his arrest, Khan was working as a physician.
On Jan. 14, 2016, Khan pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b). He was sentenced to 17 years in prison and remains incarcerated.
The denaturalization complaint against Khan alleges that he illegally procured his naturalization because when he naturalized, he lacked good moral character required for naturalization because he had committed a crime involving moral turpitude and then had given false testimony about his crimes during his naturalization proceedings. The denaturalization complaint also alleges that Khan obtained his naturalization through willful misrepresentations or concealment of material facts.
The litigation is being jointly handled by Deputy Chief Hans H. Chen of the Department of Justice’s Office of Immigration Litigation-Affirmative Litigation Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Waterman for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Khan’s sex crimes were investigated by the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Rossmiller of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
The denaturalization claims made in the complaint are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability regarding Mr. Khan’s naturalization.
Note: This press release is based in part on the press release issued upon Khan’s criminal sentencing in June of 2016.
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
Source: Justice.gov
