A 56-year-old Nigerian woman living in Massachusetts has been arrested by US federal authorities over allegations that she falsely claimed to be an American citizen before voting in two elections.
The woman, identified as Gladys Adaeze Okafor, is facing a federal charge of unlawfully voting as an alien after prosecutors accused her of casting ballots in the 2022 midterm elections and the 2024 presidential primary despite not being a US citizen.
According to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, Okafor was arrested in Lynn on Wednesday, September 16, and was expected to appear in federal court in Boston.
How the case allegedly began
Federal prosecutors said Okafor, who was born in Aba, Abia State, first registered to vote in Lynn in July 2022.
At the time, she allegedly signed a voter registration certification declaring that she was a US citizen, despite prosecutors maintaining that she was not.
The City of Lynn subsequently registered her as a voter.
Authorities allege that Okafor then cast a ballot in the November 2022 midterm elections.
The federal complaint states that election records showed she voted on November 8, 2022, when federal and state candidates were on the ballot.
Another registration, another alleged vote
The allegations did not end with the 2022 election.
According to the charging documents, Okafor submitted another voter registration form in October 2023 and again indicated that she was a US citizen.
Prosecutors allege that she subsequently voted in the March 5, 2024 presidential primary.
The federal complaint further states that Okafor later acknowledged during a recorded interview with a Homeland Security Investigations agent that she had completed the two voter registration forms and voted.
Her immigration status
The case also hinges on Okafor’s immigration status at the time.
US authorities said she is a Nigerian citizen who obtained lawful permanent resident status in December 2022.
She is not a US citizen and, according to prosecutors, had never applied for US citizenship.
That distinction is central to the federal charge because lawful permanent resident status does not confer the right to vote in federal elections.
Interestingly, the first alleged vote occurred in November 2022, before she obtained her permanent resident status the following month.
What prosecutors say she signed
The Justice Department said Okafor’s 2022 voter registration contained a certification stating that she was a US citizen and that the declaration was made under penalty of perjury.
The government alleges that she repeated the same declaration when she submitted the second registration form in 2023.
Those documents form a significant part of the case against her, alongside Lynn’s election records showing the two alleged votes.
Possible punishment
The charge of unlawfully voting as an alien carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $100,000, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
Authorities also said Okafor could face deportation after completing any sentence imposed.
However, any eventual punishment would depend on the outcome of the federal case and a court’s decision.
Case comes amid wider US fraud crackdown
Okafor’s arrest comes as US authorities intensify efforts to investigate alleged voter and benefit fraud.
The US Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts said its Benefit & Voter Fraud Team was established in March 2026 to investigate fraud across the state.
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The Justice Department also announced the creation of a National Fraud Enforcement Division in April 2026 as part of a broader federal fraud-enforcement effort.
Authorities stress allegation, not conviction
Despite the seriousness of the charge, federal authorities have stressed that Okafor has not been convicted.
The US Attorney’s Office specifically noted that the details contained in the charging documents are allegations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
The case will therefore turn on the evidence presented before the federal court as Okafor faces the allegation that she twice represented herself as a US citizen and voted in elections despite not having US citizenship.