By SUZANNE DOWNING
Oct. 22, 2016 – Brian Steven Smith, already serving a 226-year prison sentence for murdering two Alaska Native women, was convicted Wednesday of unlawfully obtaining US citizenship by concealing his crimes during the naturalization process.
A federal district judge found the South African national guilty of unlawfully procuring naturalization under two provisions of federal law. Smith faces up to 20 years in prison and denaturalization following sentencing, which is scheduled for Feb. 18, 2027, before US District Judge Aaron Christian Peterson. That’s on top of his murder sentence..
According to federal prosecutors, Smith applied for and obtained citizenship between June and September 2019. During those proceedings, he falsely answered “No” under oath when asked whether he had participated in torture, killing, intentionally causing serious injury, or sexual assault. He also denied committing crimes for which he had not been arrested.
In fact, his crimes included the murders of Kathleen Jo Henry and Veronica Abouchuk. Smith was convicted of both killings in Alaska Superior Court in February 2024. There is no evidence that Smith ever voted as a citizen of Alaska.
“Brian Smith tortured and murdered two vulnerable Alaska Native women before and during his naturalization to become a United States citizen,” US Attorney Michael J. Heyman said in announcing the federal conviction.
Heyman said his office would pursue available federal charges to secure justice for the victims and prevent offenders such as Smith from retaining citizenship.
The federal case follows one of Anchorage’s most disturbing murder prosecutions.
On July 12, 2024, Superior Court Judge Kevin Saxby sentenced Smith to 226 years in prison. A jury had convicted him of 14 counts, including two counts of first-degree murder, second-degree sexual assault, tampering with physical evidence, and misconduct involving a corpse.
Police uncovered the killings after a woman provided investigators with recordings from Smith’s phone. The images documented the torture and killing of a woman later identified as Henry, 30, as well as efforts to dispose of her body and conceal evidence.
During questioning about Henry’s 2019 murder, Smith admitted killing another woman the previous year. Investigators identified that victim as Abouchuk, 52, according to the Alaska Department of Law.
Anchorage police investigated the federal matter with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI Anchorage Field Office, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.
