RismadarVoice Reporters
September 19, 2026
The United States Department of Justice has announced charges against three Nigerian nationals and 13 other foreign nationals over alleged election-related offences, including illegal voting and making false claims of U.S. citizenship.
The three Nigerians were identified as Gladys Adaeze Okafor, 56; Helen Sayen Adams, 67; and Joshua Nmelichukwu Akpom, 27.
The cases were announced by the DOJ on Friday as part of a wider set of federal prosecutions involving 16 individuals across different parts of the United States.
The charges include allegations of voting while ineligible, unlawful voter registration, false claims of U.S. citizenship, naturalisation fraud, passport fraud and other offences.
According to the DOJ, Ms Okafor, a Nigerian citizen and lawful permanent resident in Massachusetts, allegedly registered and voted in U.S. elections despite not being a citizen.
The department said she obtained lawful permanent resident status in December 2022 and had not applied for U.S. citizenship when she allegedly registered to vote and participated in elections.
Prosecutors allege that she signed a voter registration certification stating that she was a U.S. citizen.
Ms Okafor had previously been arrested and charged over allegations that she voted in the 2022 midterm election and the 2024 presidential primary.
In a separate case in Texas, Ms Adams, also a Nigerian citizen and lawful permanent resident, was charged with voting by an alien in a federal election and making a false statement of citizenship to register to vote.
Prosecutors allege that she falsely identified herself as a U.S. citizen when she registered to vote in June 2024 and subsequently voted in the November 2024 general election.
The DOJ said Ms Adams obtained lawful permanent resident status in May 2024.
Mr Akpom, a Nigerian citizen who has held lawful permanent resident status since 2016, faces a different charge relating to alleged false statements made during his naturalisation process.
According to prosecutors, Mr Akpom denied on a 2026 application for U.S. citizenship that he had previously claimed to be an American citizen, registered to vote or voted in an election.
The DOJ alleges that he had registered to vote in 2017 and participated in the 2018 general election.
The department said the alleged voting conduct fell outside the applicable five-year statute of limitations for the voting offence. Prosecutors therefore pursued an alleged naturalisation offence based on the statements made in his application.
The other 13 defendants are nationals of countries including Mexico, India, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Antigua and Barbuda, Venezuela, Colombia and Russia.
The cases filed in different federal districts involve a range of alleged offences, including ineligible voting, false claims of U.S. citizenship, wire fraud, naturalisation fraud and passport fraud.
The DOJ also said one of the investigations uncovered an alleged unlawful firearm purchase.
The department stressed that the charges contained in complaints, indictments and other court documents are allegations.
“All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt,” the DOJ said.
