A 56-year-old Nigerian woman, Gladys Adaeze Okafor, has been arrested and charged in the United States for allegedly voting in elections despite not being a U.S. citizen.
Okafor, a resident of Lynn, Massachusetts, was accused of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship when registering to vote and subsequently casting ballots in the 2022 midterm elections and the 2024 presidential primary.
The charges were announced on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, by U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England, in a statement issued by the U.S. Department of Justice.
According to federal charging documents, Okafor is a Nigerian citizen who was born in Aba, Abia State, Nigeria. She obtained lawful permanent resident status in December 2022 but is not a U.S. citizen and has never applied for U.S. citizenship.
Prosecutors allege that in July 2022, Okafor submitted a voter registration application in Lynn and signed a certification stating that she was a U.S. citizen, under penalty of perjury.
Following the registration, the City of Lynn allegedly added her to the voter roll, and she subsequently voted in the 2022 midterm elections.
The charging documents further allege that Okafor submitted another voter registration form in October 2023. On the form, she reportedly checked the box indicating that she was a U.S. citizen and again signed the corresponding certification.
Prosecutors allege that she subsequently voted in the 2024 presidential primary election.
Okafor was arrested Wednesday morning and was expected to appear in federal court in Boston later that day. She faces a federal charge of unlawful voting as an alien.
If convicted, the charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison, up to one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $100,000.
The Department of Justice said Okafor could also face deportation after completing any sentence imposed. Any sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge based on applicable federal statutes and the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julissa Walsh of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
