The Department of Justice has filed a civil complaint to revoke the U.S. citizenship of a Long Island physician prosecutors say groomed and sexually exploited a child, targeting him even as he serves a 17-year federal prison sentence tied to abuse that began when the victim was 11.
The civil denaturalization complaint, filed in the Southern District of New York, alleges that Dr. Hassan Sherjil Khan concealed material facts when he applied for naturalization, according to the New York Post. A DOJ spokesman told the Post the department is now pursuing “the highest volume of denaturalization referrals in history” as part of a broader push to use citizenship revocations against serious offenders.
Denaturalization Now a DOJ Priority
This case is unfolding against the backdrop of a policy shift at the Department of Justice. A June 11, 2025 memorandum from the Civil Division instructed government lawyers to elevate denaturalization work across several categories that specifically include sex offenses. The memo urged attorneys to “prioritize and maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings in all cases permitted by law and supported by the evidence,” as reported by Mondaq.
Case Background
According to court filings and reporting, Khan applied for U.S. citizenship in August 2012 and was naturalized in 2013, during a period when prosecutors say he had already been grooming the victim since she was 11. He also traveled to London in April 2012 to have sex with a 15-year-old, according to the government’s account.
Khan was arrested in September 2015, convicted on charges tied to the exploitation and grooming of a minor, and in 2016 was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison, per the New York Post. The new civil filing does not alter his sentence but opens a second legal front that could reshape his status once his prison term ends.
Local Ties
Public provider listings identify Dr. Hassan Sherjil Khan as having an affiliation with Winthrop‑University Hospital on Long Island, according to the NPI Profile. The records reference a past hospital connection but do not indicate his current clinical privileges or custody status.
What Losing Citizenship Could Mean
Denaturalization is handled in civil court rather than through a criminal case. Judges must find “clear and convincing” evidence that citizenship was obtained through fraud or deliberate concealment before canceling a naturalization certificate. Legal analysis of the June 2025 directive notes that the bar is high and these cases can drag on, but if a court does cancel a certificate, the person can later be placed into removal proceedings, as explained by the National Law Review.
The DOJ’s complaint launches a civil case in the Southern District that could take months or years to resolve. Any move to strip Khan’s citizenship would then trigger a separate round of legal and immigration steps. For Long Island residents, the filing is a stark example of how the Justice Department’s denaturalization push is landing close to home, putting federal policy shifts into very local focus.
