The United States Department of Justice has announced charges against 16 individuals, including three Nigerians, over alleged illegal voting, unlawful voter registration and other election-fraud schemes across the country.
The charges were announced in a press release issued on Friday, September 18, 2026.
According to the Justice Department, the cases involve allegations of non-citizens illegally voting in federal elections, making false claims of US citizenship to register or vote, as well as related offences including wire fraud, naturalisation fraud, passport fraud and unlawful firearm purchases uncovered during the investigations.
One of the Nigerians charged is 67-year-old Helen Sayen Adams, a lawful permanent resident since May 2024. She was charged with voting as an alien in a federal election and making a false statement of citizenship to register to vote.
Another Nigerian, 27-year-old Joshua Nmelichukwu Akpom, who has been a lawful permanent resident since 2016, was charged with making false statements in connection with his naturalisation process.
Meanwhile, 56-year-old Gladys Adaeze Okafor, also a Nigerian national and lawful permanent resident, was previously arrested and charged with allegedly voting illegally in the 2022 election and voting in the 2024 general election.
