66-year-old woman, who has lived in the USA since she was two, only now found out she has no citizenship
In the American state of New York, 66-year-old Marva Cook, a native of Germany, has been arrested and accused of illegal participation in federal elections. The woman claims she did not know about her lack of American citizenship, writes Bild.
Marva Cook. Photo: Dennis Nett/The Post-Standard via AP
Cook was born in Germany but has lived in the USA since the age of two, where she was adopted. She graduated from an American school, played basketball for a university team, and worked for many years in an orphanage. Despite this, it recently turned out that she had not obtained US citizenship.
Cook herself stated that she learned about her birth in Germany when she began searching for her biological mother. At the same time, she has a permanent residence permit in the USA.
Why the woman did not receive American citizenship after adoption remains unknown. Cook herself contacted the authorities, but the prosecutor's office believes that she consciously participated in the elections, knowing about her lack of citizenship.
If the woman is found guilty, she faces up to a year in prison, a fine of up to 100 thousand dollars, and deportation.
Amid the approaching midterm elections in the US Congress, law enforcement agencies are investigating other cases of possible illegal voting. According to The Independent, charges have been brought against more than 20 permanent residents in California, and against ten individuals in Minnesota.