A 56-year-old Nigerian woman, Gladys Adaeze Okafor, has been arrested and charged with illegally voting in the 2022 midterm elections in the United States after lying about her citizenship.
Africans& Diaspora
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement in a release issued the Department of Justice on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
The Defendant residing in Lynn, Massachusets, Boston, also allegedly voted in the 2024 Presidential primary election.
Okafor, is charged with unlawfully voting as an alien.
The defendant was arrested on Wednesday morning.
She is expected to appear in federal court in Boston on the same day.
According to the charging documents, Okafor is a citizen of Nigeria who was born in Aba, Abia State.
Okafor obtained lawful permanent resident status in December 2022 but is not a U.S. citizen and has not applied for U.S. citizenship.
In July 2022, Okafor allegedly submitted a voter registration card, signing her name under a certification which provided “I AM A CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES … Signed under penalty of perjury.”
The City of Lynn subsequently registered her to vote, and Okafor allegedly voted in the midterm elections that fall.
It is further alleged that Okafor submitted a second voter registration form in October of 2023, checking the “U.S. Citizen” box and signing under the U.S. citizen certification. Okafor allegedly voted in the 2024 presidential primary election.
The charge of unlawful voting as an alien provides for a sentence of up to one year in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $100,000.
The defendant may be subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S.
Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julissa Walsh of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
