A 56-year-old Nigerian woman residing in Lynn, Massachusetts, United States (US), Gladys Adaeze Okafor, was arrested on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, and charged with voting illegally in the 2022 midterm elections.
Okafor was also accused of voting in the 2024 presidential primary election despite not being a US citizen, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for the district of Massachusetts.
The U.S. attorney’s office disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday.
According to the charging documents, Okafor is a Nigerian citizen who was born in Aba, Nigeria.
She obtained lawful permanent resident status in December 2022 but is not a U.S. citizen and has not applied for citizenship.
Prosecutors claimed that in July 2022, Okafor submitted a voter registration card in which she certified that she was a U.S. citizen.
The City of Lynn subsequently registered her to vote, and she allegedly voted in the 2022 midterm elections.
The authorities further claimed that Okafor submitted another voter registration form in October 2023, again indicating that she was a U.S. citizen. She voted in the 2024 presidential primary election.
Okafor was charged with unlawfully voting as an alien. The charge carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $100,000.
She may also be subject to deportation after completing any sentence imposed.
The case was announced by United States attorney Leah B. Foley and Jeff Grimming, acting special agent in charge of homeland security investigations in New England.
Assistant U.S. attorney Julissa Walsh of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The U.S. attorney’s office stressed that the allegations contained in the charging documents have not been established in court.
Okafor is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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