By Ado Oyeyemi
A 56-year-old Nigerian woman, Gladys Adaeze Okafor, has been arrested in the United States for allegedly falsely claiming American citizenship and voting in elections.
Okafor, a resident of Lynn, Massachusetts, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with unlawfully voting as an alien, according to the United States Department of Justice.
The department announced the case in a statement issued on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
Prosecutors alleged that Okafor, who was born in Aba, Abia State, Nigeria, became a lawful permanent resident of the US in December 2022 but was not an American citizen.
According to the charging documents, she registered to vote in July 2022 and signed a declaration affirming that she was a US citizen under penalty of perjury.
She was subsequently registered as a voter in Lynn and allegedly cast her ballot during the 2022 midterm elections.
The prosecution further alleged that Okafor submitted another voter registration application in October 2023, again declaring that she was an American citizen.
She was also accused of voting in the 2024 presidential primary election.
Okafor is expected to appear before a federal court in Boston following her arrest as the case proceeds.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison, one year of supervised release and a $100,000 fine, while she could also face deportation after serving any sentence imposed by the court.
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Assistant US Attorney Julissa Walsh of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
