(The suspect. Photo Credit: Fox News
A 56-year-old Nigerian woman living in Massachusetts has been arrested for voting without citizenship rights.
Gladys Adaeze Okafor cast ballots in the 2022 midterm elections and the 2024 presidential primary despite not being a United States citizen.
According to prosecutors, Okafor came to the country and later became a permanent resident in December 2022.
However, she never obtained citizenship.
Before that status arrived, she submitted a voter registration form in July 2022, signing a statement claiming to be a US citizen.
The City of Lynn approved her registration and she voted in that year’s elections.
The following year, Okafor registered to vote again, once more declaring herself a citizen.
She voted in the 2024 primary election as well.
Federal authorities say she signed documents under penalty of perjury both times, falsely certifying her citizenship status.
Okafor was arrested this week and appeared in federal court in Boston.
The charge carries a possible sentence of up to one year in prison, a year of supervised release, and fines reaching $100,000.
She may also face deportation after any sentence is completed.
The case was brought by the District of Massachusetts as part of a new Benefit and Voter Fraud Team launched earlier this year to address widespread fraud investigations across the state.
Federal prosecutors stress the allegations remain unproven in court and Okafor is presumed innocent until conviction.
