The United States Department of Justice has announced criminal charges against 16 individuals in separate cases involving alleged illegal voting, unlawful voter registration and other election-related offences.
The cases, announced on September 18, 2026, include three Nigerian nationals who are facing charges in different U.S. jurisdictions. The allegations include voting by non-citizens in federal elections and making false statements concerning U.S. citizenship.
One of the Nigerians, 67-year-old Helen Sayen Adams, is a lawful permanent resident who obtained her status in May 2024. Prosecutors in Texas charged her with allegedly voting in a federal election as a non-citizen and making a false statement of citizenship when registering to vote.
Another Nigerian, 27-year-old Joshua Nmelichukwu Akpom, who has held lawful permanent resident status since 2016, was charged with allegedly making false statements during the naturalisation process.
Prosecutors said the charge relates to information he provided in his application for U.S. citizenship.
The third Nigerian, 56-year-old Gladys Adaeze Okafor, was arrested in Massachusetts and charged with allegedly voting illegally in the 2022 federal midterm election.
Prosecutors also allege that she voted in the 2024 presidential primary after registering as a voter while not being a U.S. citizen.
The Justice Department said the broader investigations also involve allegations of naturalisation fraud, passport fraud, wire fraud and other offences uncovered during investigations into election-related activities.
The department stressed that criminal complaints, indictments and other charging documents contain allegations only, and that defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court..