A Nigerian, Gladys Okafor, has been arrested and charged with illegally voting in the 2022 midterm elections in the U.S. Ms Okafor, a resident of Lynn, Massachusetts, was arrested and charged in court on Wednesday.

Ms Okafor also allegedly voted in the 2024 presidential primary election, though not a U.S. citizen. Illegal voting by a non-U.S. citizen carries a sentence of up to one year in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $100,000. Ms Okafor may also be subject to deportation after completing any sentence imposed.

Special agent Andrew DePatto of the Homeland Security Investigations, in a court affidavit obtained by Peoples Gazette, said Ms Okafor confessed to voting in the 2024 presidential primary election.

“On September 10, 2026, I conducted an audio-recorded interview with Okafor. During that interview, Okafor confirmed that she had completed and submitted the 2022 and 2023 Voter Registration Forms, that she voted in the federal midterm elections, and that she voted in the 2024 presidential primary election,” Mr DePatto stated.  

Ms Okafor, 56, is Nigerian and was born in Aba. Ms Okafor, who was born in 1970, obtained her green card in 2022, which is valid till 2032. She obtained lawful permanent resident status in December 2022. In July 2022, she allegedly submitted a voter registration card, signing her name under a certification which provided ‘I am a citizen of the United States… Signed under penalty of perjury’.

The City of Lynn subsequently registered her to vote, and the Nigerian allegedly voted in the midterm elections.

On or about October 18, 2023, according to a court document, Ms Okafor submitted a Massachusetts Official Voter Registration Form (the 2023 Voter Registration Form). She completed the form in person, and the City of Lynn’s Election Office received it. On the form, Ms Okafor listed her name, her Lynn address and P.O. box, her date of birth, the last four digits of her SSN, and her phone number.

On the 2023 form, in response to the question, ‘Are you a Citizen of the United States of America?’ Ms Okafor checked ‘Yes’.

Towards the bottom of the form, there is a box that reads, “I hereby swear (affirm) that I am the person named above, that the above information is true, that I AM A CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES, that I am not a person under a guardianship which prohibits my registering to vote, that I am not temporarily or permanently disqualified by law from voting because of corrupt practices in respect to elections, that I am not currently incarcerated for a felony conviction, and that I consider this residence to be my home. Signed under the penalty of perjury.”

Ms Okafor signed the form directly under that box, claiming under penalty of perjury to be a U.S. citizen. She attested on her I-130 immigration document, signed on January 6, 2023, that she resided at her Lynn address, (redacted) Neptune Street, Lynn, MA 01905, since 2011.  

Additionally, Ms Okafor submitted two forms. The first voter registration form was a mail-in voter registration dated July 18, 2022, which was mailed to the City of Lynn and received by the City of Lynn’s Election Office on August 4, 2022.

Ms Okafor’s voting record was changed on April 16, 2024, from ‘Gladys Adaeze Okafor’ to ‘Adaeze Gladys Okator’, the document showed.