A 63-year-old Nigerian woman, Ada Ngozi Otuka, has been convicted in the United States for election rigging, illegal voting, and falsely assuming the identity of an American citizen, following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Otuka, a resident of Katy, Texas, and a Permanent Resident (Green Card holder), is ineligible to vote in US elections. However, prosecutors said she falsely claimed to be an American citizen during voter registration and voted in five elections: 2012, 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2024.
A statement by the Department of Justice confirmed the convictions. In 2025, federal officials notified Otuka that her voter registration was under scrutiny after findings showed she was not a US citizen, but prosecutors said she did not respond.
She pleaded guilty to charges of illegal voting by aliens and false claim to citizenship before the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas. She faces up to six years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 for the two charges.
While pleading for mercy, Otuka blamed ignorance and temptation, saying: “I am a mother, grandmother from Nigeria. I don’t know that Permanent Residents (Green Card Holders) are not entitled to vote in United States elections. The voting card was sent into my mailbox, so I just filled it up. I am asking for mercy because I was ignorant and I saw people around doing similar things. I won’t lie, I claimed to be an American citizen in the form which I checked its box. I am having serious health issues now, and I don’t think I will survive if I go to jail.”
She also expressed fear of deportation to Nigeria after serving her jail term, questioning where she would start her life from.
Otuka’s sentencing has been scheduled for 5 November.