CHANDLER, Ariz. — >>Editor's note: The above video is from a previously aired broadcast.
An East Valley tutor accused by multiple families of inappropriately touching children was sentenced Friday on a forgery charge in Maricopa County Superior Court.
Brett Smith was sentenced to 2.5 years of probation after taking a plea deal and pleading guilty to one count of felony forgery. Fourteen other fraud-related charges were dropped as part of the plea deal.
Last year, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office accused him of legally changing his name to hide his past, which includes previous allegations of inappropriately touching children.
12News first reported on Smith in July 2020, after uncovering he had legally changed his name in Arizona from Brett Zagorac to Brett Smith in 2019.
When Smith applied for a fingerprint clearance card to work with children, the Arizona Department of Public Safety tried to shut him down after learning he had a history of accusations that involved him allegedly inappropriately touching kids in Illinois and Indiana under his old name.
Court records indicate he was arrested up to 10 times on those allegations in Indiana and Illinois. In some cases, charges were dropped, but in three cases, he was convicted on misdemeanor battery charges and served time in jail.
Smith was arrested on fraud charges in Maricopa County in April 2021 after moving to Arizona and changing his name.
Local authorities confirmed that at least half a dozen Valley families have reported Smith to law enforcement since 2019, some accusing him of inappropriate touching. Smith was never charged for any of those inappropriate touching allegations.
Court records in Arizona show Smith had 12 different aliases he’d use with clients, including BJ the Educator. A pre-sentencing document said Smith has been working part-time as an English and Spanish teacher online for the past two years.
An attorney listed for Brett Smith could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.
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