United States authorities have charged two Nigerian nationals, Helen Sayen Adams and Joshua Nmelichukwu Akpom, along with 14 other foreign nationals, over alleged illegal voting, voter-registration violations and other election-related offences.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ), in a statement issued on Saturday, said the defendants were charged in connection with separate alleged schemes involving unlawful voting, fraudulent voter registration and other election crimes across the United States.
“Nigerian national, Helen Sayen Adams, 67, a lawful permanent resident since May 2024, was charged with voting by an alien in a federal election and false statement of citizenship in order to register to vote,” the DoJ said.
“Nigerian national, Joshua Nmelichukwu Akpom, 27, a lawful permanent resident since 2016, has been charged with false statements in relation to naturalisation,” it added.
The latest charges follow the arrest earlier in the week of another Nigerian national, Gladys Okafor, 56, who is also a lawful permanent resident. She was accused of unlawfully voting in the 2022 elections and allegedly casting a ballot in the 2024 general elections.
According to the allegations, Okafor also participated in the 2024 presidential primary election despite not being a U.S. citizen. Under U.S. federal law, illegal voting by a non-U.S. citizen is punishable by up to one year in prison, up to one year of supervised release and a fine of as much as $100,000.
The allegations against the defendants remain subject to the U.S. judicial process. In Okafor’s case, authorities said she could also face deportation after serving any sentence imposed by the court.
