Nigerian Woman Arrested in US Over Alleged Illegal Voting

Gladys Adaeze Okafor, a 56-year-old Nigerian national residing in Lynn, Massachusetts, has been arrested by US authorities and charged with allegedly voting illegally in federal elections. The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said Okafor was arrested on September 16 and charged with unlawfully voting as an alien. Prosecutors allege that she participated in the 2022 midterm elections and later voted in the 2024 presidential primary despite not being a US citizen.

According to charging documents, Okafor was born in Aba, Nigeria, and obtained lawful permanent resident status in December 2022. However, authorities said she had not become a US citizen and had not applied for citizenship. Prosecutors allege that she submitted a voter registration application in July 2022, before obtaining permanent resident status, and signed a certification declaring that she was a US citizen. The City of Lynn subsequently registered her as a voter, according to the allegations.

Federal authorities further allege that Okafor submitted another voter registration form in October 2023 and again indicated that she was a US citizen. Prosecutors said she subsequently voted in the 2024 presidential primary election. The case therefore centers not only on the alleged ballots but also on the claims that Okafor repeatedly represented herself as a US citizen on official voter-registration documents.

Okafor was expected to make her first appearance in federal court in Boston following her arrest. The charge of unlawfully voting as an alien carries potential criminal penalties if she is ultimately convicted. Reports citing federal authorities state that the offence can carry up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Any additional immigration consequences would be handled separately under US law.

The case remains an allegation at this stage, and the charges against Okafor have not been established as proven facts in court. Her arrest and prosecution form part of ongoing US enforcement of federal restrictions on voting by non-citizens. The proceedings will determine the evidence surrounding her voter registrations and the elections in which she allegedly participated.