{
  "id": 16098150,
  "title": "REPEAT CONVICT: SA double murderer ‘with racist alter ego’ may lose US citizenship over lies",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/repeat-convict-sa-double-murderer-with-racist-alter-ego-may-lose-us",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-22T20:06:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Maverick",
    "slug": "daily-maverick",
    "url": "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-10-22-sa-double-murderer-with-racist-alter-ego-may-lose-us-citizenship-over-lies/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Brian Smith, a South African native, has been found guilty in the US of lying about his criminal past to obtain citizenship. He had already been serving a 226-year prison sentence for murdering two women in Alaska in 2018 and 2019. Smith claimed he had a \"racist alter ego\" on Facebook and that he was coerced into confessing. The issue of his US citizenship status has resurfaced amid tensions between the US and South Africa. Smith faces potential deportation and denaturalization if convicted of unlawfully obtaining US citizenship.",
  "summary": "Brian Smith, originally from South Africa, has been found guilty in the US of lying to become a citizen there. In the application process, he said he had never been involved in any crime, but by that time he had murdered two women in Alaska, for which he is already serving a 226-year prison term. Smith previously told US police he had a racist alter ego on Facebook.",
  "key_points": [
    "South African Brian Smith convicted of lying about criminal past to gain US citizenship.",
    "Smith served 226-year prison term for murdering two women in Alaska in 2018 and 2019.",
    "Citizenship status questioned amid US-South Africa tensions, potential deportation."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}