A Nigerian woman, Gladys Okafor, has been arrested and charged with illegally voting in U.S. federal elections while not being a U.S. citizen. The 56-year-old resident of Lynn, Massachusetts, was taken into custody and formally charged on Wednesday after confessing to casting ballots in both the 2022 midterm elections and the 2024 presidential primary. Her actions violate U.S. law, which prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal elections, carrying penalties of up to one year in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine of $100,000. She may also face deportation following any sentence imposed.
Special Agent Andrew DePatto of Homeland Security Investigations confirmed Ms Okafor’s confession during an audio-recorded interview on September 10, 2026. In the interview, she admitted to completing and submitting voter registration forms for both 2022 and 2023, and to voting in the federal midterm elections as well as the 2024 presidential primary. These admissions were detailed in a court affidavit obtained by Peoples Gazette, underscoring the seriousness of her alleged violations.
Born in Aba, Nigeria, in 1970, Ms Okafor obtained her green card in 2022, which grants her lawful permanent resident status valid until 2032. Despite this immigration status, she is not a U.S. citizen. In July 2022, she submitted a voter registration form that required her to certify under penalty of perjury that she was a U.S. citizen. She signed the form affirming her citizenship, even though she was not. The City of Lynn processed her application and registered her to vote, enabling her to participate in the 2022 midterm elections.
In October 2023, Ms Okafor submitted another official voter registration form in person at the Lynn Election Office. On this form, she again checked “Yes” to the question “Are you a Citizen of the United States of America?” and signed a sworn statement declaring herself a U.S. citizen. The document included her full name, address, date of birth, last four digits of her Social Security Number, and phone number. She also attested on her I-130 immigration document, dated January 6, 2023, that she had resided at her Lynn address since 2011.
Her voting record shows a change in name on April 16, 2024, from “Gladys Adaeze Okafor” to “Adaeze Gladys Okator,” according to court documents. This alteration did not affect her eligibility status, as she remained registered under false pretenses. Authorities are now reviewing how such discrepancies went undetected for years, raising concerns about voter verification processes in local election offices.
The case highlights the importance of accurate voter registration and underscores the legal consequences of falsifying information on official forms. As the U.S. continues to strengthen its election integrity measures, cases like Ms Okafor’s serve as a warning to all residents about the risks of misrepresentation. The outcome of her trial could set a precedent for similar cases involving non-citizens attempting to vote in federal elections.
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