A 56-year-old Nigerian woman living in Lynn, Massachusetts, United States, Gladys Adaeze Okafor, has been arrested and charged with allegedly voting illegally in the 2022 midterm elections.
Okafor was also accused of voting in the 2024 presidential primary despite not being a United States citizen.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts disclosed the charges in a statement issued on Wednesday.
The statement said, “BOSTON – A Nigerian national residing in Lynn, Mass. has been arrested and charged with illegally voting in the 2022 midterm elections. Defendant also allegedly voted in the 2024 Presidential primary election.”
The statement identified the defendant as Okafor and said she had been charged with unlawfully voting as an alien. It added that she was arrested on Wednesday morning and was expected to appear before a federal court in Boston later that day.
It said, “Gladys Adaeze Okafor, 56, is charged with unlawfully voting as an alien. The defendant was arrested this morning and will appear in federal court in Boston later today.”
According to the charging documents, Okafor is a Nigerian citizen born in Aba, Nigeria. The documents stated that she obtained lawful permanent resident status in December 2022 but was not a US citizen and had never applied for US citizenship.
The statement identified the defendant as Okafor and said she had been charged with unlawfully voting as an alien. It added that she was arrested on Wednesday morning and was expected to appear before a federal court in Boston later that day.
It said, “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.”
According to the charging documents, Okafor is a Nigerian citizen born in Aba, Nigeria. The documents stated that she obtained lawful permanent resident status in December 2022 but was not a US citizen and had never applied for US citizenship.
The statement said, “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 US citizen certification. Okafor allegedly voted in the 2024 presidential primary election.”
It added that any sentence would be determined by a federal district court judge in line with the US Sentencing Guidelines and applicable federal sentencing laws.
