A 56-year-old Nigerian woman, Gladys Adaeze Okafor, has been arrested and charged in the United States for allegedly voting illegally in the 2022 midterm elections after falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen.
The charge was announced by United States 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 on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
Okafor, who resides in Lynn, Massachusetts, also allegedly voted in the 2024 presidential primary election. She was arrested on Wednesday morning and was expected to appear in federal court in Boston later that day.
According to the charging documents, Okafor is a Nigerian citizen born in Aba, Abia State. She obtained lawful permanent resident status in December 2022 but is not a U.S. citizen and has never applied for U.S. citizenship.
In July 2022, Okafor allegedly submitted a voter registration form, checking the U.S. citizenship certification and signing under penalty of perjury. The City of Lynn subsequently registered her to vote, and she allegedly voted in the 2022 midterm elections.
The charging documents further state that Okafor submitted another voter registration form in October 2023, again indicating that she was a U.S. citizen. She allegedly voted in the 2024 presidential primary election.
Okafor is charged with unlawful voting as an alien, an offence carrying 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. Any sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge based on applicable sentencing guidelines and federal statutes.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julissa Walsh of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
