LYNN, Mass.- A Nigerian national living in Lynn has been charged with unlawfully voting in the 2022 midterm election and allegedly voting in the 2024 presidential primary, according to federal prosecutors.
Gladys Adaeze Okafor, 56, was arrested Wednesday morning and charged with unlawful voting as an alien. She is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston later Wednesday.
According to charging documents, Okafor is a citizen of Nigeria who was born in Aba, Nigeria. She obtained lawful permanent resident status in December 2022 but is not a U.S. citizen and has not applied for U.S. citizenship.
Prosecutors allege that in July 2022, Okafor submitted a voter registration card and signed a certification stating that she was a U.S. citizen. The City of Lynn subsequently registered her to vote, and she allegedly voted in the 2022 midterm election.
Okafor allegedly submitted another voter registration form in October 2023, again identifying herself as a U.S. citizen and signing the corresponding certification. Prosecutors allege that she subsequently voted in the 2024 presidential primary election.
The charge carries a potential sentence of up to one year in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $100,000. The defendant may also be subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed.
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