Three Nigerians are among 16 people charged in the US for alleged election-related offenses

The United States Department of Justice has filed charges against three Nigerian citizens and 13 other foreign nationals in separate cases involving alleged violations of federal election and citizenship laws.

The 16 cases, announced by the DOJ on Friday, involve allegations ranging from voting by ineligible individuals and false claims of US citizenship for election purposes to naturalization, passport and wire fraud.

Nigerians identified in the case are Gladys Adaeze Okafor, 56; Helen Sayen Adams, 67; and Joshua Nmelichukwu Akpom, 27.

Okafor, a Nigerian citizen and lawful permanent resident living in Massachusetts, was previously arrested and indicted on allegations that he registered to vote and voted in the 2022 midterm elections and 2024 presidential primaries even though he is not a U.S. citizen.

According to the DOJ, Okafor obtained lawful permanent resident status in December 2022 and had not yet become a US citizen or applied for citizenship when he allegedly registered and voted.

Prosecutors further alleged that he signed a voter registration certification stating that he was a U.S. citizen.

Adams, who was also identified as a Nigerian citizen and lawful permanent resident, faces charges in the Northern District of Texas.

The DOJ said he was charged “with Voting by an Alien in a Federal Election and False Declaration of Citizenship to Register to Vote.”

According to prosecutors, Adams allegedly falsely declared himself a US citizen when he registered to vote in Texas in June 2024.

He then allegedly voted in the November 2024 general election.

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The department said Adams became a lawful permanent resident in May 2024, before allegedly making a claim to citizenship on his voter registration application.

A third Nigerian, Akpom, has been a lawful permanent resident of the United States since 2016 and faces charges related to his naturalization application rather than his demand for in-person voting.

The DOJ said Akpom allegedly made false statements on his 2026 naturalization application by denying that he had previously claimed to be a U.S. citizen, registered to vote, or voted in elections.

Prosecutors accused Akpom of registering to vote in 2017 and then voting in the 2018 election.

However, the department said the alleged voting behavior can no longer be prosecuted due to the applicable statute of limitations.

“Because of the five-year statute of limitations, prosecutors are relying more on naturalization violations than voting behavior,” an earlier statement said.

As a result, prosecutors charged Akpom regarding alleged false statements during the naturalization process.

The three Nigerians are among 16 people charged in separate federal cases in the United States.

Other defendants include citizens of Mexico, India, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Antigua and Barbuda, Venezuela, Colombia and Russia.

The cases cover a range of alleged violations, including voting when ineligible, falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to register or vote, wire fraud, naturalization fraud, and passport fraud.

One of the investigations also allegedly uncovered unlawful purchases of firearms.

The Justice Department said the cases were filed through multiple federal districts and involved a different set of allegations and circumstances.

The department emphasized that the indictment does not constitute a finding of guilt.

According to the DOJ, complaints, indictments, and other charging documents contain allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.