A Nigerian woman residing in Massachusetts as a permanent resident has been charged with allegedly voting illegally in at least two US elections after falsely claiming to be an American citizen, according to authorities.
Gladys Adaeze Okafor, 56, was charged by the US Justice Department with unlawfully voting as an alien. Prosecutors allege she cast ballots in the 2024 presidential primary and the 2022 midterm elections despite not being a US citizen.
Okafor is expected to appear before a federal court in Boston on Wednesday.
Federal prosecutors allege that Okafor repeatedly provided false information about her citizenship on official documents, signing certifications under penalty of perjury to become eligible to vote.
Authorities said she submitted a voter registration card in July 2022 and certified that she was a US citizen by signing the document. The City of Lynn subsequently registered her as a voter.
In October 2023, Okafor submitted another voter registration card and again checked a box stating that she was an American citizen, prosecutors said.
Born in Nigeria, Okafor obtained lawful permanent resident status in December 2022. Prosecutors said she is not a US citizen and has never applied for American citizenship.
If convicted, she could face up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
The case comes amid other US investigations involving alleged voting by noncitizens. Seven noncitizens were recently indicted in Texas as part of an election integrity investigation.
Earlier this month, the Justice Department also charged five people in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Wisconsin over cases involving alleged illegal voting or fraudulent voter registration connected to the 2022 or 2024 elections.
