Nigerian Ada Otuka arrested, convicted for U.S. election rigging, illegal voting

A 63-year-old Nigerian, Ada Ngozi Otuka, faces up to six years’ imprisonment in the United States after pleading guilty to illegally voting during five federal elections and falsely claiming American citizenship.

Ms Otuka, though a resident of Katy, Texas, is ineligible to vote during elections as an alien. However, prosecutors said she falsely claimed to be an American citizen during voter registration.

Investigation by the FBI and immigration authorities showed she had voted in 2012, 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2024, a statement on Thursday by the Department of Justice said.

In 2025, federal officials notified Ms Otuka that her voter registration was under scrutiny after findings showed she was not a U.S. citizen. Prosecutors said she did not respond.

She pleaded guilty to charges bordering on illegal voting by aliens and false claim to citizenship before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas and faces up to six years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 for the two charges.

Ms Otuka’s sentencing has been scheduled for November 5.

In a separate but similar case, a UK citizen also entered a plea in May to unlawfully voting.

Samuel James Hall, 50, legally resided in Houston but, like Ms Otuka, cannot cast ballots in U.S. elections. However, he admitted to illegally voting in the 2024 federal election.