Nigerian-Born UK Citizen Faces Up to Six Years in U.S. Prison After Pleading Guilty to Illegal Voting

A 63-year-old British citizen of Nigerian descent, Ada Ngozi Otuka, is facing up to six years in federal prison in the United States after pleading guilty to illegally voting in U.S. elections and falsely claiming American citizenship.

The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday by the United States Department of Justice, which outlined the charges and the circumstances surrounding the case.

According to U.S. prosecutors, Otuka, who resides in Katy, a city in the Houston metropolitan area of Texas, admitted to unlawfully participating in the 2020 federal election despite not being a U.S. citizen.

She also pleaded guilty to falsely representing herself as an American citizen while completing her Texas voter registration and statement of residence, a requirement for eligible voters in the state.

Although Otuka is a lawful permanent resident of the United States, federal law prohibits non-U.S. citizens from voting in federal elections.

Investigators revealed that her voting history extended beyond the 2020 election. Records presented by prosecutors showed that she cast ballots in multiple elections, including those held in 2012, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2024, despite being ineligible to vote.

According to the Department of Justice, election authorities notified Otuka in 2025 that her voter registration was under review after receiving information indicating she was not a U.S. citizen. However, officials said she failed to respond to the notice.

The case took another turn when Otuka later submitted an application for U.S. naturalisation in 2025. Prosecutors said information contained in the application acknowledged that she had previously voted in U.S. elections despite her ineligible status, a disclosure that further strengthened the government’s case against her.

She has now entered guilty pleas to two federal offences illegal voting by a non-citizen and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship.

Otuka is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett on November 5.

If handed the maximum penalties allowed by law, she could receive up to five years’ imprisonment for falsely claiming U.S. citizenship and an additional one year for illegal voting, bringing her total potential prison sentence to six years.

In addition to imprisonment, she could also be ordered to pay a fine of up to 250,000 U.S. dollars.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Houston Field Office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Texas Attorney General’s Office, with support from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Liesel Roscher.

Authorities have reiterated that only U.S. citizens are legally permitted to vote in federal elections and warned that false claims of citizenship or unlawful voting can attract severe criminal penalties under federal law.

Source: naijapunchnews