A Nigerian woman, Gladys Adaeze Okafor in the United States (US) has been charged by a federal court for voting unlawfully as an alien.
Okafor, a 56-year-old has been residing in Lynn, Massachusetts, and has now been taken into federal custody on allegations of unlawful voting and fraudulently claiming American citizenship.
The case was announced by Leah B. Foley, attorney and Jeff Grimming, acting special agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England, United States
Okafor was arrested on Wednesday following an investigation by federal authorities and now faces charges that carry potential prison time, steep financial penalties, and deportation.
According to documents disclosed by the US Department of Justice, Okafor was born in Aba, Abia State, Nigeria, and obtained lawful permanent residency status in December 2022.
The statement said, ‘It is further alleged that Okafor submitted a second voter registration form in October of 2023, checking the ‘US Citizen’ box and signing under the US citizen certification. Okafor allegedly voted in the 2024 presidential primary election.’
Despite holding lawful residency, she was never granted US citizenship, which is a mandatory prerequisite for voting in federal and state elections.
Federal prosecutors assert that Okafor improperly signed voter registration forms under penalty of perjury, asserting US citizenship on two separate occasions, first in July 2022 and again in October 2023.
She subsequently participated in both the 2022 midterm elections and the 2024 presidential primary election.
Okafor is scheduled to appear before a federal court in Boston to face the charge of unlawful voting as an alien.
Julissa Walsh, assistant US Attorney
of the Major Crimes Unit would be leading the prosecution and if convicted, Okafor could face up to one year in federal prison, a year of supervised release, a fine of up to $100,000, and probable deportation proceedings upon completion of any custodial sentence.