Nigerian noncitizen charged with illegal voting in 2022 midterm and 2024 presidential primary

The Justice Department announced it has arrested and charged a Nigerian national residing in Lynn, Massachusetts, with illegal voting in the 2022 midterm elections and the 2024 presidential primary election. 

Gladys Adaeze Okafor, 56, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with unlawful voting as a noncitizen. 

Okafor obtained lawful permanent resident status in December 2022, but she is not a U.S. citizen and has not applied for citizenship, according to a criminal complaint. 

In July 2022, Okafor submitted a voter registration card, signing her name under a certificate that asserted she is a citizen of the U.S., and she voted in the midterm elections the following fall, according to the complaint. 

She is also alleged to have registered to vote, again asserting her citizenship, in October 2023. She voted in the 2024 presidential election, the complaint alleges. 

If convicted, she faces up to one year in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $100,000. If convicted, she may also be subject to deportation after serving her sentence.