Nigerian Woman Arrested in US Over Alleged Illegal Voting in Two Elections

A 56-year-old Nigerian woman living in Massachusetts has been arrested and charged by federal authorities with illegally voting in two United States elections despite not being a US citizen. The case, announced by the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, has drawn attention in both American and Nigerian media, and it comes amid a broader federal crackdown on non-citizen voting across the country.

Gladys Adaeze Okafor, a resident of Lynn, Massachusetts, was arrested on Wednesday morning and appeared in federal court in Boston later that day . She faces a single charge of unlawfully voting as an alien, a federal offense under 18 U.S.C. § 611.

The Allegations Against Okafor

According to charging documents filed in the case, Okafor is a Nigerian citizen who was born in Aba, Abia State . She obtained lawful permanent resident status in December 2022, but she is not a US citizen and has not applied for US citizenship .

The allegations against her date back to before she even received her green card. Prosecutors say that in July 2022, Okafor submitted a voter registration card to the City of Lynn, signing her name under a certification that read: “I am a citizen of the United States… Signed under penalty of perjury” . The City of Lynn subsequently registered her to vote, and she allegedly cast a ballot in the November 2022 midterm elections that fall .

The documents further allege that in October 2023, Okafor submitted a second voter registration form, again checking the “US Citizen” box and signing under the citizenship certification . She then allegedly voted in the 2024 presidential primary election .

Investigators reportedly matched the signatures on the voter registration forms to signatures Okafor had used on immigration documents, according to an affidavit filed in support of the case . During an interview with a special agent from Homeland Security Investigations, Okafor acknowledged that she had voted in both the 2022 midterm elections and the 2024 presidential primary, according to court documents .

How the Investigation Unfolded

The case against Okafor emerged from a broader review of local voting rolls in Massachusetts. Homeland Security Investigations examined voter records in certain communities to identify non-citizens who had registered to vote or cast ballots in federal elections .

“As part of continuing efforts to investigate criminal violations of federal law, Homeland Security Investigations has examined voter rolls for certain Massachusetts communities to identify non-citizen registration to vote and non-citizen voting in federal elections,” the charging documents stated .

Okafor was arraigned at the federal court in the Seaport and was released on her own recognizance after waiving her right to a probable cause hearing, the Boston Herald reported .

Legal Framework and Potential Penalties

Under federal law, voting in US elections is reserved exclusively for citizens. Non-citizens, including permanent legal residents, cannot vote in federal, state, and most local elections . The offense Okafor is charged under—18 U.S.C. § 611—is a misdemeanor that applies when a non-citizen votes in an election where a federal candidate is on the ballot .

The statute includes limited exceptions, such as when the person reasonably believed at the time of voting that they were a US citizen, or when each natural parent is or was a US citizen and the person permanently resided in the US before age 16 . Prosecutors do not need to prove the person knew non-citizen voting was illegal, only that they knew they were not a citizen and knew they were voting.

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 . Okafor could also face deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed . Any sentence would be determined by a federal district court judge based on the US Sentencing Guidelines and applicable federal sentencing laws.

A Wider Crackdown on Illegal Voting

Okafor’s arrest is part of what appears to be a broader federal push to prosecute non-citizens for voting violations. The case is linked to the District of Massachusetts’ Benefit & Voter Fraud Team, which US Attorney Leah B. Foley established in March 2026 “in response to the rampant fraud being uncovered across Massachusetts” .

At the national level, the Department of Justice announced the creation of a National Fraud Enforcement Division in April 2026 to investigate and prosecute fraud against Americans .

In Texas, federal prosecutors recently charged seven non-citizens—including two Nigerian nationals—with election-related offenses . One of them, 67-year-old Helen Sayen Adams, allegedly falsely claimed US citizenship on a Texas voter registration application in June 2024 and voted in the November 2024 general election . Another, 27-year-old Joshua Nmelichukwu Akpom, was charged with making false statements on his naturalization application after denying he had ever registered to vote despite registering in 2017 and voting in the 2018 general election .

In Massachusetts, a Chinese national was charged in August 2026 with submitting a fraudulent voter registration and ballot in the 2024 presidential election in the name of another Chinese national . And in May 2026, a Canadian lawful permanent resident was charged with voting illegally since 2008 .

Nigerian Community Implications

For Nigerian communities in the United States, the case serves as a stark reminder of the legal risks associated with voter registration for non-citizens, even those who hold green cards and may eventually seek citizenship. Lawful permanent residents have many rights in the US, including the right to work and reside permanently, but voting in federal elections is not among them .

The arrest has also drawn attention in Nigerian media, with outlets including Punch, The Sun Nigeria, Tribune Online, Newswatch, and Naija News all covering the case . The coverage reflects ongoing interest in the treatment of Nigerian nationals in the US, particularly in the context of immigration enforcement.

The case comes amid a broader climate of increased scrutiny of immigration-related offenses. The US government has recently published lists of Nigerian nationals facing deportation, with the number expanding to 134 individuals as of late August 2026, according to reports . The individuals named face a range of charges, from fraud and identity theft to violent and drug-related offenses.

Presumption of Innocence

The US Attorney’s Office emphasized that the allegations against Okafor have not been proven in court.

“The details contained in the charging document are allegations,” the office stated. “The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law” .

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Julissa Walsh of the Major Crimes Unit. It was announced by US Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England .

Broader Context of Non-Citizen Voting in the US

While illegal voting by non-citizens remains relatively rare compared to the total number of ballots cast, federal authorities have signaled that they intend to pursue such cases aggressively. About 800,000 people voted in Tarrant County, Texas alone in 2024, where seven non-citizens were recently charged .

The American Bar Association has noted that most studies on non-citizen voting suggest it is “extraordinarily rare,” while acknowledging that any instance of non-citizen voting dilutes the votes of citizens and undermines confidence in elections . The ABA has called for a comprehensive, bipartisan study on the issue to guide future policy decisions.

Meanwhile, legislation such as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, passed by the House in February 2026, would require documented proof of US citizenship for registration and specified voter ID to cast a ballot if enacted . The Citizen Ballot Protection Act, introduced in the Senate in November 2025, would explicitly allow states to require proof of American citizenship when registering to vote via mail-in application .

For now, Okafor’s case will proceed through the federal court system, where she is presumed innocent until proven otherwise.