A 56-year-old Nigerian woman and US lawful permanent resident has been arrested in Massachusetts over allegations that she illegally voted in federal elections.
The woman, identified as Gladys Adaeze Okafor, faces a charge from the US Department of Justice for allegedly voting as an alien and falsely claiming to be an American citizen.
Fox News congressional correspondent Bill Melugin reported the arrest in a Facebook post on Wednesday. He said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested Okafor in Lynn, Massachusetts, while the DOJ filed charges against her.
“BREAKING: Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has arrested a Nigerian non-citizen in Lynn, MA and DOJ has charged her after they say she illegally voted in several US elections, including the 2024 Presidential election & 2022 midterms, and falsely attested to be a US citizen multiple times while registering to vote in MA,” Melugin wrote.
According to the report, Okafor holds a green card and has lawful permanent resident status in the United States. However, she has not applied for US citizenship. Federal law does not allow non-citizens to vote in US federal elections.
The DOJ alleges that Okafor registered to vote in Lynn in July 2022 and falsely declared that she was a US citizen. Prosecutors say she then voted in the 2022 midterm elections.
The department further alleges that she submitted another voter registration form in 2023 and again claimed to be a US citizen before allegedly voting in the 2024 presidential election.
Melugin reported that Okafor allegedly admitted voting in the 2024 election during a recorded interview with an HSI agent last week.
The case is being prosecuted by US Attorney Leah Foley as part of a joint DOJ and DHS effort targeting alleged unlawful voting and election fraud.
Okafor was expected to make her first appearance in federal court in Boston on Wednesday.
Federal prosecutors stressed that the charges are allegations and that defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Could this case lead to closer scrutiny of voter registration among non-citizens?
