A California woman pleads guilty to paying homeless people on Skid Row to register to vote and sign ballot petitions, prompting a Department of Justice warning. Concurrently, the FBI arrests James Brass and two associates for orchestrating a scheme that paid homeless individuals to forge signatures on ballot initiatives using stolen voter identities. Brass allegedly received $41,600 for the fraudulent petitions, and all three defendants face federal identity fraud charges.
Skid Row petition fraud scheme
- ▪James Brass was paid $41,600 by a petition management company for submitting forged petitions to petition coordinators in Los Angeles.
- ▪James Brass allegedly orchestrated a ballot harvesting scheme by managing a team of signature collectors and collecting signatures himself in Los Angeles' Skid Row.
Federal identity fraud charges
- ▪James Brass, Courtney Price, and Jateisha Herron were charged with conspiracy to commit identity fraud in furtherance of a state felony on September 10, 2026.
- ▪James Brass and Courtney Price face additional charges of identity fraud in furtherance of a state felony, with each of the three defendants facing up to five years in prison per count.
FBI election security enforcement
- ▪FBI Director Kash Patel stated that suspects paid homeless people on Skid Row in Los Angeles to sign ballot initiative petitions using stolen identities for at least six months in 2026.
- ▪FBI Director Kash Patel stated that securing American elections from criminal interference is of the utmost importance and remains a top priority for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Homeless signature forgery operation
- ▪From February through August 2026, James Brass, Courtney Price, and Jateisha Herron allegedly gathered voter identities from a database and paid homeless people on Skid Row to sign petitions using those names.
- ▪James Brass and Jateisha Herron allegedly signed false declarations on petitions, claiming they personally witnessed the registered voters sign the petitions.
DOJ voter fraud prosecution
- ▪First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli stated that the Skid Row petition scheme undermines voter confidence and that the Department of Justice will vigorously investigate election corruption.
- ▪A California woman pleaded guilty to paying homeless people to register to vote and sign ballot petitions, prompting a Department of Justice warning about widespread voter fraud.
Debatable claims
- ▪California should tighten its voter registration and petition laws
- ▪Voter fraud is a widespread threat to US election integrity
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