CHICAGO (IL)
WMAQ - NBC 5 [Chicago IL]
January 30, 2026
By Rose Schmidt
“The presence of this individual in some of our schools and with some of our students is very alarming,” the Archdiocese of Chicago said in a letter.
A man used a fake name to get a private tutoring job in the south suburbs, then engaged in sexual contact with a child, police say. He also worked at multiple Catholic schools in the Chicago area, according to the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Orland Park police arrested 43-year-old Brett Smith, and he made his initial court appearance Friday in Bridgeview. He’s been charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
Authorities said parents in the south suburbs looked on the Nextdoor app for a tutor for their 9-year-old son and found a man going by the name BJ S. McAuliffe.
He got the job, but the parents became suspicious after the Zelle bank payment showed up under the name Brett Smith. Soon after, they found articles online about him with previous allegations involving children.
Smith turned himself in Wednesday after detectives tried to find him at his house.
Police said his original legal name was Brett Zagorac, but he changed it to Smith. In addition to the alias BJ S. McAuliffe, he has also used the names BJ S. and BJ Smith to advertise tutoring services. Prosecutors said BJ Wilhelm is another alias.
The Archdiocese of Chicago sent a letter to families saying Smith has interacted with Catholic school students in at least four south side and south suburban Catholic schools over the past 16 months. When the archdiocese learned of the allegations, it immediately barred him from its schools and he was fired.
“The presence of this individual in some of our schools and with some of our students is very alarming. We want to thank parents at Queen of Martyrs who have been instrumental in shedding light on this situation,” the archdiocese wrote in the letter.
Archdiocese officials said this month, Smith worked as a substitute teacher at Queen of Martyrs School in Evergreen Park. Earlier this school year, he worked for a third-party vendor assigned to Pope John Paul II School in Chicago. Last school year, he worked as a long-term substitute at St. Walter-St. Benedict School in Chicago and Blue Island.
“Despite his history of allegations in Illinois and other states, Mr. Smith passed state background and fingerprint checks at the beginning of his employment in the Archdiocese in 2024,” the archdiocese wrote in the letter.
In court, Smith’s attorneys asked for electronic monitoring to allow him to take care of his parents, but the judge ordered him detained after prosecutors detailed a criminal history of more than 20 years in Illinois and other states.
Smith is due back in court Feb. 20.
Police asked anyone who believes they or their child may have been a victim of Smith contact the law enforcement agency where the incident occurred.