{
  "id": 8501888,
  "title": "US charges three Nigerians, 13 others over election crimes",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/us-charges-three-nigerians-13-others-over-election-crimes-8501888",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-19T17:26:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch",
    "slug": "punch",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/us-charges-three-nigerians-13-others-over-election-crimes/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The US Department of Justice has charged three Nigerians and 13 other foreign nationals with various election crimes, including illegal voting, false claims of US citizenship, and related offenses. The individuals involved include Gladys Adaeze Okafor, Helen Sayen Adams, and Joshua Nmelichukwu Akpom, all of whom are lawful permanent residents but not US citizens. Okafor allegedly voted in the 2022 midterm election and the 2024 presidential primary, while Adams falsely claimed to be a US citizen when registering to vote in Texas in June 2024. Akpom is accused of making false statements regarding naturalization, including denying past claims of US citizenship, voting, or registering to vote. The charges against the 16 individuals stem from allegations of voting while ineligible, false citizenship claims, wire fraud, naturalization fraud, passport fraud, and unlawful firearm purchases.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch Nigeria",
        "title": "US charges three Nigerians, 13 others over election crimes",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/us-charges-three-nigerians-13-others-over-election-crimes",
        "published": "2026-09-19T16:58:41.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Ripples Nigeria",
        "title": "Three Nigerians among 16 charged in US over alleged election-related offences",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/three-nigerians-among-16-charged-in-us-over-alleged-election-related",
        "published": "2026-09-19T18:43:42.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}