A 56-year-old Nigerian woman, Gladys Adaeze Okafor, has been arrested and charged with allegedly voting illegally in the 2022 midterm elections in the United States after falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen.
The United States Attorney, Leah B. Foley, and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England, announced the charges in a statement issued by the U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
Okafor, who resides in Lynn, Massachusetts, is also alleged to have voted in the 2024 presidential primary election.
She was charged with unlawfully voting as an alien and was arrested on Wednesday morning. She is expected to appear in federal court in Boston later the same day.
According to the charging documents, Okafor is a Nigerian citizen who was born in Aba, Abia State.
She 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 form, signing her name under a certification stating, “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 2022 midterm elections.
The charging documents further allege that Okafor submitted a second voter registration form in October 2023, checked the “U.S. Citizen” box and signed the certification for U.S. citizens. She allegedly voted in the 2024 presidential primary election.
The charge of unlawful voting as an alien carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $100,000.
The defendant may also be subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed.
Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes governing sentencing in criminal cases.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julissa Walsh of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
